Altered Reality
by SpontaneousCombustion
Summary: Last chapter is up! Metal Kor is dead, and it is time to PARTAY, baby!
1. Pulled In

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but Raye and Jessie.

--

-Chapter 1-

-Into the game-

"Stingers, Raye!"

"Thank you, Jess, I see them!"

"… obviously not since one just attacked you. One more hit and it's my turn."

"Tch. Doubt it." Raye said, smirking over at her friend. Black hair fell down just above her shoulders, framing a somewhat round, slightly tan face with high cheekbones that brought out bright cerulean eyes. Her smirk rested on thin, almost heart-shaped lips, and these rested below a pointed, elf-like nose. She was tall and thin, standing at 5'7" at sixteen. Even sitting, she was still almost a head taller than the girl next to her. "Besides, the meet only wore out my legs, not my hands. My button pushing abilities will not fail me."

There was a roar from the TV as Metal Kor snapped the sinewy ropes holding him aloft and began chasing after Jak. "And he's down! Heh, stupid-" Raye stopped as a laser-like beam zapped her from across the screen, and Jak fell down, dead. "What the hell?!"

"Oh yeah, he shoots lasers. Did I forget to tell you that?" Jess asked, smiling innocently with her full lips, revealing two rows of braces. Her honey-colored hair was chopped short, in an unruly and messy boy's cut. Violet-gray, almond shaped eyes gleamed mischievously above a just slightly too large nose. At only 4'11", the girl was practically a child compared to her friend. "Now gimme that controller."

Raye held it up over her head, pulling it out of the blonde's reach. "Not a chance, that's totally withholding information, which falls under the category of cheating. I get a redo."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. I'm getting more pizza."

"Bring the whole box, I want some too!" Raye called as she walked out. There was a thumbs up flashed in her direction as the tiny body disappeared out the door. Raye laughed as she turned back to the screen, which had blacked out. She blinked. "Huh, what the…?" Pushing a few buttons on the controller, she frowned at the screen. "Grr, stupid piece of junk." She smacked the PS2, yelping as her hand was shocked.

Standing up, she poked her head out the door. "Jess, your Playstation's a piece of shit!"

"It's secondhand, what d'you expect?" She said. "I'll be up in a sec. I have to wrestle one of the boxes into the trash can."

As her footsteps started up the stairs, a rumble shook the house. Behind her, Raye heard a roar, from… the TV? Thinking that the game had started back up again, she began to turn, letting out a startled gasp as something wrapped around her body. Looking down, she saw a dark, indigo blue, three fingered… claw(?) gripping her torso.

"I finally found you, child!" Red exploded in Raye's vision as the claw yanked her backwards, knocking the wind out of her. The red faded into black as a dark chuckle filled the air around her.

"Raye? I thought I heard Kor talking, is the PS2 working again? Turn it off, there's a huge storm out…" Jess stopped in the doorway of her room. "…side. Raye?"

--

"Oohhh…" Raye groaned as she sat up. "My head…" She winced as she touched her forehead, drawing her fingers back with something wet and warm on them. Opening her eyes slowly, she let out a little whine as light momentarily blinded her and made the intense throbbing in her head worse, trying to focus on the blurry shape of her hand in front of her face. On the tan blur that she could only assume was her skin there was red staining it and she could feel it leaking down her fingers. With a groan, she let her hand drop to the ground, her head lolling back onto the wall behind her.

'Wait, wall?' Her mind questioned, breaking through the fog in her head for a moment. Raye opened her eyes again, wincing as the light hit them but forcing them to stay open this time, and looked around. Iron greeted her from every view. 'This looks so familiar…' She thought, pushing herself up slightly.

Nausea rolled over her in a wave and she fell back to the ground on her side, heaving. "Unh… unh…" She clutched her stomach, though even with the heavy heaving nothing would vacate her stomach. A few minutes later, the sickness seemed to pass, and Raye stood up, leaning against the wall behind her for support.

Looking around again, she took a few shaky steps forward, stumbling and grabbing onto a cold metal pole to stay up. "Damn… what'd Jess put in my soda?" She chuckled darkly, raising her head and looking around again. 'So familiar looking.' Raye thought to herself again.

That's when it hit her; why the entire place looked so familiar. "Holy cookie." She gasped, sliding down to her knees. "No way. This can't be… this can't be happening. I'm not in Jessica's Jak 2 game. I am not in… Jessica's…" She put a hand over her eyes. "I'm in Jess's flipping Jak 2 game. Or having a mental breakdown. One of those. Reeeaallly hoping it's the second one." She said, raising her head and looking around.

With a sigh, she stood up. "Might as well find somewhere to go…" She looked up at the sky. "I guess it's pretty late. It'd sure explain the lack of people." Pausing, she laughed. "Though that never seemed to deter anyone in the game." Walking for a while longer, she passed a particularly shiny square of metal on the wall and froze.

"You've got. To be freaking. Kidding me." Raye groaned, reaching up to the side of her head where her ear was. She let out a frustrated huff. "_Wunderbar_." She muttered, glaring at her reflection. Her ears had elongated into a style similar to the game's characters, only instead of being shorter like most of the females', they were long and slim like Jak's.

Raye put a hand on the plate, feeling the cool, smooth metal under her palm. "I've got to be dreaming…" Reaching for her arm, she pinched herself, hard. "Ow!" She winced, rubbing the spot. "Or not…" Looking up at the plate again, she froze as she saw several red armored figures standing behind her.

"What are you doing out past curfew?" One growled, adjusting their grip on the gun in their hands.

Raye swallowed nervously. "I… I…"

"Hold, men." If Raye hadn't been nervous before, she certainly was now. Pushing through the Guards, a familiar, unarmored figure stepped to the front of the crowd.

"Commander?" The Guard who had questioned Raye asked.

Errol held a hand up to silence him. "Give me your arm, girl." Raye tried to send the command from her brain to her legs to run, but instead her arm rose in front of her. Errol gripped her wrist tightly, pulling something out of one of the pouches on his belt.

"Nn…" Raye winced as he pressed it against her wrist and something pricked her skin. When he pulled whatever it was back, Raye could see a dot of red welling up on her skin. She pulled her eyes from the prick mark to the object in Errol's hand. It looked like a metal bangle that had been chopped in half, the concave side covered in a long meter. Watching, the bars in the meter lit up starting from the bottom, stopping one from the top.

Errol smirked, looking down at her. "Well, well. It appears we have a channeler on our hands." He glanced at the bars again. "And a strong one at that. Baron Praxis will be quite pleased to see _you_."

Raye's eyes widened and she tugged uselessly against Errol's grip. He stepped to the side, and the Guard behind him raised his rifle up, bringing the butt down between Raye's eyes.

For the second time that day, red exploded in Raye's vision and she fell to the ground.

--

"You've got a new friend to keep you company, boy." Errol growled as the cell door opened. The occupant looked up as a pair of guards tossed a body inside carelessly. As soon as the door shut, the boy scrambled over to the figure. Gently, he turned them onto their back, his eyes widening. It was a girl about his age. Blood had dripped down from her temple, curving around the side of her face and into her hair, and a bruise was forming at the bridge of her nose, between her eyebrows.

Crawling over to the bowl of stagnant water sitting in the corner of the cell, he carried it over to the girl and pulled her head into his lap. Tearing off a piece of his shirt, he dipped it into the water and wiped the wound on her forehead slightly. He stopped as the girl winced, but she didn't wake up.

After he'd gotten the blood cleaned off, the boy slipped his arms under the girl's shoulders and knees and laid her on the makeshift pile of rags in the corner. Propping her head up on a small bundle, he retreated to the opposite corner and rested his head on his knees, falling asleep.

--

Raye hissed in pain as she sat up, the spot in between her eyes throbbing as if someone was stabbing her with a hot poker. Blinking away the tears in her eyes, she looked around. It was a change from the Industrial Section, that's for sure. Her gaze traveled over the metal walls, the reinforced looking door with the barred window and food slot near the bottom, and over to the corner in front of her, where a boy with spiked up, green-blonde hair and bright blue eyes watching her.

"Hi." She greeted, not knowing what else to say. She looked down underneath her to see the makeshift bed she was laying on. "Did… did you put me here?"

He nodded.

Raye blinked. "Why?"

He shrugged.

"Oh." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, thanks. I'm Raye." She knew that he couldn't reply, but it would be better for them both if she pretended not to know.

Jak drew something in the dirt on the floor. Raye crawled over to see what she thought was Precursor writing. 'Oh, it must be…' "Jak?" She asked, looking up at him. He smiled and nodded.

Raye looked over the boy in front of her. He looked roughed up, but not like someone who had been pumped full of dark eco. Not yet, anyway. 'He must've just been captured. I'm in the very beginning of the game.' She realized. "How long have you been here?"

Jak bit his lip. "You don't know, do you?" Raye asked gently. He shook his head, then began drawing- writing- in the dust more.

"I-" Jak looked up at her. Raye blushed slightly. "I don't read much of this language. Almost none, actually." She realized how stupid that must've made her sound, but she really didn't.

Jak blinked at her. "Yeah, I know. It's weird. Where I come from, we write in something totally different."

Both looked up as the cell door opened. Errol stepped in, flanked by two guards. "I hate to interrupt," He smirked down at them, obviously not caring in the slightest, "But you're coming with us." He pointed a finger at Jak, whose eyes widened fearfully. One of the guards tromped over to the boy and grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet. Jak made a noise that could only be described as a fearful keening, and Raye was on her feet before she could stop herself.

"Let him go!" She yelled, grabbing the guard's wrist. The next thing she knew, she was back on the floor, blood dripping from a wound in her cheek where the armor had sliced through skin.

A pair of indigo boots stepped into her vision. "Apparently, this one is VERY eager to go first." Errol jerked his head toward Raye. The Krimzon Guard holding Jak's forearm tossed the elf to the ground and wrapped his hand around Raye's instead. The pain that was pulsing across the left half of her face and the reawakened pain between her eyes clouded her brain momentarily, the only viable way to tell she was moving was the distant feeling of her feet dragging across the ground and the heavy 'thunk'ing of the Krimzon Guards boots.

Though that might've just been her head.

Out of body experiences were not something that many people, well, experienced, but Raye figured that she was going through something pretty close. Faintly, she could feel the pain in her head, but it didn't seem to be pulling her mind out of its detached state.

"Well, what do we have here? Another subject?" Raye opened her eyes faintly, pain still lacing through her forehead. Metal gleamed faintly in the light before she groaned and closed her eyes, letting her head fall to the side.

"Yes sir." That was Errol.

"Doesn't look like much." The new voice 'hmph'ed. It sounded so familiar… why couldn't Raye put her finger on it?

There was a sound like someone was digging around in their pockets. "Her eco tolerance readings."

Silence for several moments. "We'll see. Start the beam. Let's see how long this one lasts. And it had better be longer than the last one you pulled off the streets, Commander."

"… yes, Baron Praxis."

'Praxis?' Raye questioned to herself. Then, 'Beam?'

The whirring noise of machinery charging up and gears chinking together, and then…

Raye was pulled quite forcefully back into her body as what felt like a sledgehammer slammed down her chest. Only the pain didn't stop; it spread like fire through her body, consuming every nerve in its path. A scream ripped out of her throat, tearing it raw within seconds. The scream stretched on and on, echoing off the cold metal walls like the wailing of a thousand damned spirits. Seconds, minutes, perhaps hours passed... occasionally Raye paused to strain for breath, but the sound always returned to the high, tormented shriek of utter pain.

Then, suddenly, the beam stopped. "_Dark eco injection cycle complete._" A female computer voice droned.

"Vitals status." Praxis ordered.

"_Heart rate: high. Blood pressure: high. Stress levels: high._"

Praxis looked down at the panting girl, a smirk on his face. "Thirty minutes and she's still alive. Good. This one isn't an utter disappointment, Errol. Now we'll just need to see if she can STAY alive. Bring out the boy."

Raye let out pained mewls as two hands dug into her arms and pulled her off the table. Something wet was dripping down from her forehead, but she couldn't concentrate on it. The throbbing pain that was coursing through her with every heartbeat was her only focus.

Or, at least, it was until she heard the screams start.

"Jak!" Her concerned cry made fire shoot through her lungs, and she gasped for air in painful gulps, but nonetheless craned her head over her shoulder to see the blonde boy arching off the metal chair, screaming in pain. It didn't even sound natural. It sounded… inhuman.

Then her view was rudely cut off by a sudden wave of red armor as Raye felt her body go into free fall… which was also rudely, and painfully, stopped when her left side slammed into a very solid wall. Tears joined the blood on her face as pain raced up her side and into her head and her vision whited out.

The pain woke her up again as something shook her shoulder lightly. She cracked an eye open to see a yellow-green blur. "Jak?" She asked, blinking suddenly. Her vision cleared up considerably and she could make out the still somewhat-fuzzy details of his face. She squinted, trying to rid Jak of the fuzzy glow around his body. When it didn't leave, she sat up. "You're glowing purple." She said, waving her hand through the haze.

Jak took her wrist gently, and moved her hand into her vision. The same faint purple aura surrounded it. "Me too, huh?" She whispered, not quite sure of what she was seeing. He nodded. She closed her eyes, exhaling heavily. "It's the eco, isn't it?" Another nod.

She growled and pushed herself, falling back painfully as her right elbow gave way. "Ow." She muttered, looking over at her arm. There were two large cuts on her wrist that were crusted with dried blood. Burns fanned out from between them, and followed the path of her veins up her arm. Glancing over at the other arm, she saw faint burns following the same patterns.

Then, darkness. "Lights out, scumbags." A male voice called.

Raye pushed herself back up, wincing as the blood on her wrists cracked. "C'mon, Jak, let's get some sleep." She sighed, scooting over to the rag-bed in the corner. After a moment, a body curled up against her back. Not able to hold in a small smile, she closed her eyes and felt her body give into sleep.

-_Two years later…_-

"Did you hear? Maggie died last night." Raye said quietly, leaning up against the gray wall behind her.

"Eco poisoning again." A husky, male voice replied from the other side of the wall. "When will Praxis stop this?"

Raye chuckled darkly. "You've been asking the same question since you learned to talk last year. You know, most people's first words are 'mom' or 'dad'. Not, 'I'll kill you'."

"Well I'm not exactly most people, now am I?"

"No, Jak. No you aren't." She said, looking down at her hands. "Hey, I'm not glowing."

There was a moment of silence. "Shit. That means they'll be here soon."

Raye sighed. "Yeah. Think it'll actually kill us this time?"

Jak paused. "They've been upping the doses. It might." He leant his head back, smirking. "We aren't that lucky. I never thought that anyone but Gol and Maya Acheron could survive being around so much dark eco, much less have it forced into their bodies." He held a hand up in front of his face. "It was destroying Gol's body, mutated both him and Maya. I'm just waiting for it to happen to us."

"I'm still holding out for the eco poisoning." Raye said bitterly. "I'd be more than happy to wake up in the middle of the night having my body eat itself from the inside out at this point."

Jak's head snapped up as the sound of a door hissing open reached his ears. "They're here."

Raye pushed herself onto her feet. "Joy. Wanna chance on who's going first?"

"After the shiner you gave Errol last week?" Jak asked, sarcasm clear in his voice. "I can guess."

The footsteps stopped in front of Raye's cell door. There was a slight beeping as the code to open it was entered. It slid open to show Errol standing in the doorway, four guards behind him. One to his left stepped forward, and raised their stun gun. Raye tensed, preparing to jump out of the way, when a movement diverted her attention to Errol's other side.

"Aaaahhhhhh!" The electricity coursing from the two guns brought Raye down to her knees, smoke rising from her shaking form. She winced, biting her lip as a pair of guards grabbed her forearms, dragging her out.

"Don't you ever get tired of fighting?" Errol asked, watching as Raye pulled against the restraints latched around her wrists and ankles. "You know you can't win."

Raye glared at him, smirking. "Then why don't you take off these restraints so we can see who'll win THAT fight, _Commander_?" Raye asked, her voice darkening with sarcasm at the last word.

The cool barrel of a gun pressed into the soft flesh underneath her chin, forcing her head back. "Don't tempt me, girl." Errol hissed.

"Two words, hotshot," Raye growled, "Breath. Mint."

A growl rose in the redheaded commander's throat and he pushed the gun harder into Raye's neck, choking her slightly, until the doors slid open. "Commander, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, Baron Praxis." Errol said, pulling his hand away and holstering his pistol, glaring at Raye all the while.

"Your master's calling. Go be a good lapdog and kiss his ass."

Errol's hand grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her up. "You won't always be useful, Raye. And when that day comes, I will take _so_ much pleasure in killing you." He released her as Baron Praxis joined them on the platform, letting her head fall back against the metal with a dull thud.

"Shall we begin?" Praxis asked with a sneer. Errol slammed his fist down on the button without even answering, as if taking out his anger on the machine would somehow intensify the pain it caused.

Raye really couldn't say if it did or not.

Finally, the beam shut off. "_Dark eco injection cycle complete. Bio readings nominal and unchanged._"

Praxis growled down at Raye. She didn't have the strength to respond. "Useless. After two years, you should at least be dead." He hissed, putting his face close to hers. Raye cracked her eyes open and, glaring at him, spit in his robotic eye. Praxis let out a roar of fury and backhanded her. "Commander!" He yelled, wiping his face.

"Yes, sir?" Errol asked, stepping up to his side.

"Take this little wretch back to her cell and bring out the boy." Errol nodded sharply and motioned to two of the guards.

Raye barely paid attention to the sounds of Jak fighting in the cell next to her as she laid on the floor, enjoying the cold stone against her burning skin. She did wince slightly as she heard what could only be the sound of a guard punching Jak, and again as the screams started.

"_Dark eco injection complete. Bio readings nominal and unchanged._" Droned the computer again, the same phrase it had said for the past two years.

"Hmph. Nothing. You told me that these two would be different, Commander." Praxis growled, glaring at Errol.

"They are surprisingly more resistant to your… 'experiments' than the others were, Baron Praxis. I fear that the Dark Warrior Program has failed." Errol said, folding his hands behind his back.

Praxis growled and rounded on Jak with a roar, grabbing a fistful of his hair much like Errol had to Raye earlier. "You should at least be dead with all the dark eco I've pumped into you! Both of you!" He dropped Jak's head, who let out slight groan.

Errol stepped up to Praxis's side. "What now? Metal Head armies are pressing their attacks. Without a new weapon, my men cannot hold them off forever."

Praxis slammed his fists against the side of one of the control panels. "I will NOT be remember as the man who lost this city to those vile creatures!" He paused, breathing heavily for a few moments before turning to Errol. "Move forward with the final plan. And finish off these two… failures tonight."

"As you wish, Baron Praxis." Errol said with a sort of half bow. As Praxis walked past him, he leant toward Jak. "I'll be back later." He chuckled maliciously, straightening and following after Praxis.

Raye propped herself up on her elbows. "This is… it can't be." She murmured, using the wall to pull herself to her knees. "Can it?"

Ding, ding! Third floor, body chains, roach food, torture devices." Raye grabbed the edge of the window, pulling herself to her feet. Daxter was jumping onto Jak's chest. "Hey, buddy, you seen any heroes here?" He blinked suddenly, obviously shocked by Jak's new look. "Woah! What'd they do to you? Jak, wake up, it's me, Daxter!"

Jak opened his eyes slightly and attempted to lift his head, but flinched as a bolt of pain raced through the muscles and let it fall back to the table.

"Well that's a fine hello! I've been crawling around this place, risking my tail, literally," He unknowingly stepped down hard on Jak's stomach, making the blonde elf let out a small 'oof,' "To find you! I've been looking for you for two years!" He turned around to face Jak's head. "Say something, just this once!" Daxter pleaded, grabbing small fistfuls of Jak's shirt and shaking him slightly.

Raye frowned. The glow around Jak seemed stronger, and it looked like it was pulsing. Jak's head rose, and there was anger in his blue eyes as he looked at Daxter. "I'm gonna kill Praxis!" He roared.

Daxter clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shh! Right now, we gotta get you outta here." The Ottsel looked around, removing his hand and crawling down to Jak's left side. "Just let me figure out how to open the security locks for your chair…" He muttered, obviously not noticing the intensifying convulsions Jak's body seemed to be going through underneath him.

Jak let out a feral, animalistic roar as purple lightning crackled around his body and he ripped through the metal cuffs like they were paper, throwing Daxter to the ground. His skin had faded to pure white in the matter of seconds it took him, his hair was a shade darker and nearly gray, his normally blue eyes were an inky black, a pair of black horns were protruding from his forehead and his fingernails had elongated to black, talon-like claws. Dark Jak had never scared Raye when it was just a video game, but now… now it was terrifying beyond belief.

Daxter gulped, looking up at what he thought was still Jak. "Or, ahh, you could do it." The thing-known-as-Jak looked down at Daxter, his lips pulled back over his teeth in a snarl. "Easy now. Eaasssyyy, buddy. It's- it's your old pal Daxter, remember?" The Ottsel gulped as Jak advanced toward him. The elf raised a clawed hand as if to slice the small rodent into pieces, and Daxter curled up in a protective ball.

But Jak's attack came to an abrupt halt halfway to the quivering ball of orange fur, along with the animal-like snarl he had begun. "Daxter?" He asked before stumbling and falling back against the chair, Jak returned to normal with a shudder.

Daxter peeked out from under his arms and, after seeing that Jak was no longer going to attack him, stood up, putting his hands on his hips. "What the heck was that?! Sheesh, remind me not to piss you off! Come on, tall, dark, and gruesome. We're outta here!" He scampered over to the lift he had entered on and pulled a package over to Jak's feet. "I, uh, brought you some new threads. Put 'em on."

Raye turned and walked to the corner of the cell, away from the window, her face beet red. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps coming toward her cell.

"Jak, what are you doing? The exit is the OTHER WAY." Daxter said, quite loudly in fact, into the elf's ear.

Jak shushed him. "Helping out a friend of mine. Raye, you still alive in there?" He called, peering into the cell.

"Nope, I'm dead. Go away." She said sarcastically, stepping back so she could see through the barred window. "Of course I'm still alive. All that poison hasn't killed me yet, has it?"

Jak gave her a wry look, then moved his hand toward the keypad lock to the right of the door. "Problem. I don't know the code to open this thing."

Raye grinned at him. "One-one-oh-eight-nine-one. Some idiot was muttering to themselves as they typed it in."

He laughed and typed in the code. The door slid open easily and Raye stepped out. She frowned as she looked between Jak's new clothes and the rags she was wearing. "So not fair." She muttered under her breath.

Jak grinned as he heard her. "We'll get you some new ones as soon as we get out of this place. C'mon."

"Easy for you to say." Raye grumbled, following after him.

Daxter looked back at Raye before turning back to look down at Jak. "Hey, Jak. Who's the girl?"

"Daxter, Raye. Raye, Daxter." Jak said as way of introduction. "Daxter's an old friend of mine."

Raye nodded. "So you've told me." They stopped at the doors. "We need a card key." She muttered, examining the plate beside her. "Now what?"

Jak looked around, his eyes falling on a stack of boxes piled up in between two rows of cells. "This way."

--

SC: Okay, so here is the first redone chapter of Altered Reality. Hope everyone enjoys it!


	2. The Escape

Chapter 2

The Escape

"What is this?" Raye asked, ducking under another pipe as she and Jak walked through the unlit room that had been through the passageway above the boxes.

"Utilities, I think." Jak said, kicking a wrench out of his path. "I heard a guard talking about a busted pipe a couple days ago. The workers must've left before our eco treatments."

"Praxis probably MADE them leave. I doubt that anyone in Haven would like the fact that he's pulling people off the streets to inject them with dark eco to try and turn them into bio-weapons." Raye scowled.

Jak grimaced, but it abated slightly as he saw a sliver of light ahead. "That must be the door out of here." He ran his hands over the metal, grinning when he found the handle. Grunting, he pulled the door open enough for them both to slip out. As Jak's feet touched the floor, alarms started blaring.

"_Alert. Prison escape in progress._"

"Damn it, we're busted." Raye growled.

Jak grabbed her arm. "We aren't busted until we get caught. Follow me." He pulled her up another stack of boxes and atop another ledge.

"Uh, Jak? I can't reach that." Raye commented dryly, looking at the next ledge before her. Jak just grinned over at her and before she could realize what he had done, he was sitting on top of the ledge, offering her a hand down. "Show off." She muttered, letting him pull her up.

Jak grinned at her again and headed through the archway in the wall next to him. However, this time HE stopped and frowned. Before him was series of flat, transport cranes suspended from the ceiling by yellow and black striped arms. "Problem?" Raye asked, stepping up behind him with a smug grin on her face.

Looking back at her, Jak smirked. "No." And with that, he easily jumped to the first and second platforms, then turned around grinned at her. "You coming?"

"I despise you, do you know that?" Raye asked, glaring at the platform in front of her.

Jak laughed. "Are you talking to me or the crane?" He blinked as she leapt up the first platform, then up to the second, grinning at him.

"You." She said, poking him in the chest and jumping to the next platform.

"_You are in a restricted sector. This sector is on high alert._" Jak and Raye both started as the computer voice warned them from a speaker somewhere high on the ceiling.

"It just loves giving us away, doesn't it?" Raye groaned as Jak leapt up next to her.

"We'll have to time this last jump." Jak muttered, watching as the crane in front of them rose up and down.

"And then what? There aren't any other cranes." Daxter said.

Jak looked around, then pointed up. "Up there, see?"

Raye shook her head. "I'm beginning to wonder if all that eco DIDN'T fry your brain."

Jak just grabbed her wrist. "Just jump when I say go." As the crane lowered so it was just a few feet above them, Jak tugged on Raye's wrist. "Now!"

"That was insane." Raye laughed as they ran down the hall. "You almost made us miss!"

"How was I supposed to know that it was going to go back up the exact moment we jumped?" Jak asked, aiming a punch at her arm.

"Well, you _were _the one watching the crane…" Daxter said oh-so-helpfully.

Jak glared at him. "Whose best friend are you again?" He jerked back slightly as something grabbed his shirt and pulled him to a halt.

"Wall." Raye said, pointing in front of him. Jak blinked and looked in the direction of Raye's finger to see that there was indeed a wall barely a foot from his face. "Well, actually, a ledge would be more precise, but we can't reach the top."

Jak paused, then walked over to the wall and knelt down. Raye blinked, surprised as Jak vaulted up, grabbing the side of the ledge and hauling himself over. "Okay, correction. I can't reach the top." She muttered under her breath, jumping up and grabbing Jak's hand.

Raye froze as she pulled herself halfway up onto the ledge. "Jak?"

"What?" He asked, a confused frown on his face.

"Guard. Behind you." Jak looked over his shoulder and saw a single guard standing at the end of the path.

"He hasn't noticed us yet." Jak muttered, pulling her up. "Let's get rid of him before he does."

Daxter looked down at Jak, frowning. "Get rid of him? You mean… as in, kill him?"

Jak looked up at the Ottsel. "What else would I mean?"

"It wouldn't be the first time. For either of us." Raye muttered, crossing her arms and directing her gaze at the floor. Daxter looked between the two, his expression shocked. "They were accidents. Sort of."

"We'll talk about this later, Dax." Jak muttered, walking forward.

A few minutes later, the guard was lying on the ground. "He's only unconscious, Dax." Jak said at the look on his friend's face. "Let's go, Raye."

Raye walked up next to him. "There's another one up there." She said, pointing past the moving platform in front of them. Jak took a step forward and Raye placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get him." She said, hopping up the platform.

Daxter sat down on the shoulder pad underneath him, glancing over at Jak's face. Jak looked over at the numerous flashing computers on the wall. Daxter frowned and turned away, crossing his arms. "Look, we don't remember doing it, alright?" Jak sighed finally. "Praxis used to put us through these… 'test runs' to see if the eco was having an effect and… Raye and I lost our tempers. Next thing we knew, we were standing in the middle of a bunch of corpses. That's where the scars on Raye's hand came from; she punched through some guard's face plate and sliced her hand up. She didn't even know about it until we got sent to the infirmary and the doctor pulled out all the shards."

A loud cry made both look up. Raye stood at the edge of the platform, looking down with a horrified expression as a blur of red plummeted to the far away ground below. Jak jumped onto the slowly moving platform and over to stable ground. "Raye, what happened?"

"I-I was trying to knock him out, and-and I thought I did, but he got back up and charged at me, so I moved, and he…" Jak put a hand on Raye's shoulder and she quieted down, following him.

--

"You sure you're alright?" Jak asked, steadying Raye.

"Never again. I never want to do that again." She growled, glaring at the pole behind her that she had just leapt off of. "Let's just go. The faster we get out of here, the better."

"She has a point. Let's go." Daxter said, tugging on Jak's ear.

As the two of them neared the platform moving forward and back from the solid ground they were standing on, an unseen speaker crackled to life overhead. "_Surrender yourself. You are under arrest._"

"Stubborn little bitch, isn't she?" Jak muttered, leaping onto the platform. A red bullet flew behind him.

"More guards." Raye sighed, jumping after him, ducking immediately to avoid the bullet aimed toward her head.

Five minutes later, the two guards had been dealt with, and were lying, unconscious, in a corner. "Okay, forget Praxis; I'm going to kill his interior designer first." Raye growled.

Jak rolled his eyes and, backing up slightly, took a running leap over the gap, rolling as he landed. Raye growled at him and did the same, though not landing so gracefully. "Not a word." She hissed at Jak as she stood up, backing up to the edge of the platform and taking the next gap, managing to stay on her feet as she landed this time. Jak landed cleanly next to her and they took off around the corner.

"What's up with this weird floor?" Daxter asked, hopping down from Jak's shoulder to examine it. A bullet shot up at him. Daxter yelped and scrambled back up to Jak's shoulder.

Said elf's blue eyes followed the path of the grated floor. "There must be dozens of guards under there."

"And all of them are just waiting for some target practice." Raye muttered. "What do we do? Just make a run for it?"

Jak nodded. "On three. One… two…"

Daxter huddled down on Jak's shoulder. "Maybe we should count to ten, or stop and think this-"

"Three!" The two elves ran forward, weaving a complicated path through the room in an attempt to avoid the many bullets. Unfortunately, the guards didn't seem to be taking the idea of shooting just at Jak and Raye, and began to fire randomly through the holes, lighting the already red room with shots of bright red-orange. Finally, they reached the end of the grated floor, only to be faced with another problem.

"Dead end." Jak said dryly.

Daxter grinned at him. "Not exactly." He hopped off Jak's shoulder and walked over to the large metal plate in the center of the floor.

"Daxter, what are you doing?" Jak asked, crossing his arms and watching the Ottsel. "It's part of the floor."

Finally, he stopped circling the plate and grinned up at the two elves. "Oh, ye of little faith." He said, stepping on a small red button. The plate- which was now obviously proven to be a hatch- popped open.

Jak sighed and scooped the Ottsel up. "Okay, okay. Nice job Daxter. Now let's go."

Raye walked over to the edge of the hatch and swung her legs through. "Way ahead of you." She said, hopping down. Jak followed.

--

"You guys are sure they aren't dead, right?" Daxter asked, looking at the two bodies that had been kicked to the side of the room.

"They aren't dead." Jak sighed for the fifth time.

Raye smirked, popping open the hatch. "They're going to wish they were when they wake up." She said with a sadistic note of pleasure in her voice, sliding through the hole. There was a slight shriek a moment later.

"Raye!" Jak yelled, kneeling down next to the hatch.

"I'm alright!" Came the echoing reply. "Soaking wet, but alright. Damn thing's like a slide when you drop down, and there's a huge pool when you reach the end."

"Ooh, I hate water." Daxter shuddered. "That wet fur smell… not great for attracting the ladies."

"Daxter, you're a two foot tall rat." Jak said, swinging his legs into the hole.

"Your point?" Jak rolled his eyes and slid down onto the slanted floor below. Raye was right; the metal was incredibly slippery and gave no chance for stopping.

"_There is no escape._" The computer warned from above him as he leapt off the end of the slide, landing on the top of a slightly submerged box.

"We must be getting close." Raye said from a metal platform near the center of the room. Jak hopped over using the submerged boxes.

"For someone who said she was soaked, you look pretty dry." Daxter pointed out, crossing his arms.

"Can't you feel it?" She questioned, grinning at Jak. "It's getting warmer. We're almost out."

Jak lifted his head slightly, and a light breeze ruffled his hair. "This way." He said, running over to a pile of boxes.

"The Baron really should learn to pick up after himself." Raye said, scaling the makeshift ladder behind him.

As they reached the ledge beyond the boxes, they both saw something that neither had seen for the good portion of two years; sky. Both scrambled up to the next ledge and stood in the doorway, staring outside. "It must be the middle of the night." Raye muttered. "There's no one on the streets."

"Just around here. No one's stupid enough to walk around Krimzon Guard HQ, daylight or not." Daxter muttered. "Being a two foot tall rat IS helpful sometimes."

"If we get caught, we're just gonna get thrown right back in here." Raye muttered, wincing at the memory of her own capture.

"I don't see any guards." Jak said, crouching down and glancing along the deserted paths. "Come on, let's go before any show up." Hesitating, Raye nodded, walking off the edge of the doorway as Jak did, landing, once again, much more clumsily than the blonde elf. He didn't take the time to tease her, instead grabbing her wrist and pulling her along once she'd regained a little of her balance.

The pair got a few strange looks, but not a word was said as they walked around the corner and into the much more crowded streets. But it was obvious that the Baron's enforced curfew was getting closer, as the crowds were thin, and many were entering into the battered homes lining the streets.

Raye looked over as movement, toward the place where she and Jak were standing, caught her eye. Her entire body stiffened as she saw a harmless looking old man hobbling over, a young boy following behind him obediently. 'Kor and little Jak.' She reminded herself, the once clear details sketchy in her mind.

"Hello, strangers." The old man greeted, drawing Jak and Daxter's attention now as well. "My name is Kor. May I help-"

Kor was quite rudely interrupted when Jak stepped up to him, glaring down at him threateningly and grabbing the front of his robes. "You look like a reasonably smart man. I want information! Where the hell are we?"

Raye put a hand on Jak's chest and pushed him back. "Jak, calm down."

Daxter leapt down from Jak's shoulder, smiling widely. "Eh, sorry!" He apologized. Then, leaning over and loudly whispering behind his hand to the Kid, "He's new to the whole 'conversation' thing."

Kor smoothed his robes as he answered. "Well, my angry young friend, you are a 'guest' of his 'majesty' Baron Praxis, the ruler of 'glorious' Haven City." The elf-disguised-Metal-Head told Jak.

Jak snorted. "We were just 'guests' in the good Baron's prison." He growled out the last word, like it was poisonous to say.

Kor 'hmph'ed. "Inside a cell or inside the city, walls surround us all. We are all _his_ prisoners."

As the words left his mouth, the sound of heavy, clunking footsteps made themselves known behind the trio. Kor's eyes widened as he looked behind the two elves. "Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'd move on if I were you."

As Jak and Raye turned around, they saw that the few elves that had been lagging in the streets were now rushing for their homes as a group of Krimzon Guards marched from the fortress toward them.

"By order of his eminence, the Grand Protector of Haven City, Baron Praxis, everyone in this section is hereby under arrest for suspicion of harboring underground fugitives." One of the guards stated, readying his gun. "Surrender and die!"

Daxter looked over at the guard. "Ah, excuse me sir," He started, looking as innocent as he could, "Don't you mean surrender, OR die!?"

Kor took a step back as if preparing to flee. "Not in this city. Protect us from these guards, and I'll introduce the two of you to someone who could help you!"

Jak and Raye glanced at each other, nodding. "This is going to feel SO good." Jak muttered, stepping toward the guards.

"It's them!" One yelled, and suddenly half a dozen charging guns were pointed at the two elves chests. However, they did not stay this way for long, as said elves rushed forward into the midst of the surprised guards, fists flying.

As the last fell to the ground, a rumble overhead made Raye look up. "Ah, crap." She cursed as a KG transport hovered above them. The click of a lock preceded the back hatch falling open, and another legion of guards poured out.

'At least there aren't any civilians around now.' She thought, readying herself. For some reason, a warning bell was going off in the back of her mind, and, on instinct, she turned to look at Jak.

"Jak?" Raye questioned, her eyes wide. He was doubled over as if in pain, right in the path of the oncoming guards, with a faint, purple haze surrounding his form. Suddenly, Raye realized why those warning bells were going off. She backpedaled to a few feet away just as the growing haze exploded into bolts of violet lightning, and Jak let out a roar.

Time seemed to freeze as a monstrous being replaced the elf standing before the red-armored troops a moment ago. No one dared to move. And then…

A white blur dove into the guards, throwing them to the ground and into buildings like they were nothing more than rag dolls. It was over before it had even started; the troops had never had a chance. Raye looked up as a blast of hot wind blew her hair every which way to see the transport taking off. At least the driver was smart.

There was a pained groan from the side and Raye looked over at Jak to see him stumbling back as the effects of his transformation faded. Running over, she looped one of his arms around her shoulders and one of hers around his back, helping him to stay standing. He cast her an almost grateful look, the almost being for the fact that Daxter walked up and diverted his attention.

"That was cool! Do it again!" The Ottsel exclaimed excitedly, almost bouncing with energy.

"Something's happening to me…" Jak groaned, looking down at his hand. "Something he did… I can't… control it." Daxter's expression changed from awestruck to worried.

"Very impressive." Kor murmured, eyeing Jak with an odd, ill-placed interest. Raye glared at the man.

"Eh, you okay Jak?" Daxter asked, putting a hand on his friend's leg. Jak just nodded slightly, sliding out of Raye's grasp. She let go of him, knowing that male egos are quite fragile, and never needed help.

"What you just did was very brave." Kor said, stepping up in front of them. "This child is important." He informed them helpfully, patting the boy's head.

Daxter walked over to examine him. "This kid? He looks kinda…" He poked the kid in the chest. The boy, in return, flinched, putting his hands over his head. "Scruffy." Daxter concluded.

All looked up as a guard on a Krimzon Zoomer flew up. Jak and Raye tensed, predicting another fight. "Move along." The guard ordered. "Curfew starts in ten minutes." He said before flying off.

This seemed to remind Kor of what he had been doing before the two fugitives had arrived. "Thank you for your help, but I must get this boy to safety." He stated, turning and beginning to walk off with the child.

"Hey!" Daxter protested, making Kor turn. "What about us?"

"There is an underground group waging war against Baron Praxis. Its leader, the Shadow, could use fighters like you two." He nodded at Jak and Raye, then handed something to the boy, who ran over. "This is a map to their hideout. It is located in a dead end alley near the city wall. Ask for Torn. He can help you." And so he walked off with the boy, disappearing among what was left of the quickly dispersing crowd.

"Let's get going, and quick." Raye said, unfolding the map. "I got caught once after curfew before, and once was enough for me." Studying the parchment for a moment, she looked up at Jak and jerked her head forward. "This way."

--

SC: Woohoo! Chapter 2 is redone! All rejoice and celebrate!


	3. Meetings and Missions

Chapter 3

Meetings and Missions

"Raye, we're getting close, right?" Jak asked, observing the almost empty streets.

She nodded. "Yeah, it's just around this corner." She shoved the map in her pocket as they crossed a rotting bridge over a wide gap in the streets and turned the corner into a dead-end alley, surprised to see two elves standing there already; a blonde woman and an auburn haired man.

The blonde saw them first and blocked their further entry into the alley, a scowl on her face. "What do you two want?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"We're looking for a guy named Torn." The man leaning against the wall looked up and walked over. "Kor sent us." Jak said, taking a step back as the male seriously invaded his personal bubble. "Um… are you… Torn?"

"Maybe he's a mute, like you used to be." Daxter suggested. Torn grunted, taking a step back and looking over the two elves.

"New faces make me nervous." He said with a smirk that clearly said that they didn't. "Word is you're out to join the fight for the city. You know, picking the wrong side could be… unhealthy."

Jak stepped forward, meeting Torn's gaze with a cool glare. "We want to see the Shadow."

Torn chuckled. "Not likely. If you want to join something, why don't you two and your…" He looked over at Daxter, his smirk becoming slightly more prominent. "_Pet_ go join the circus?"

"Torn!" The blonde said, glaring at him. He looked over at her, obviously startled. "The Underground needs new men and you know it. Stop playing hardass and let's all get inside before some guard comes tromping down here." **(a/n: insert 'Go Tess' dance here)**

"Fine." He growled, turning and walking toward the alley end. The blonde smiled at Jak and Raye and motioned for them to follow. They glanced at each other before doing so, blinking as a section of the wall slid away to reveal a staircase leading… well, underground. Raye paused at the doorway, a hand resting on the frame. Something about this seemed familiar, and not from the game. Like she had been here before, like she was now.

"Hey, princess!" Raye snapped out of her daydream to see Torn standing at the bottom of the steps, glaring up at her. "Hurry it up before you get us all killed."

Raye felt a light blush stain her cheeks pink as she ran down the stairs, feeling the 'whoosh' of air as the door slid shut behind her. Jak rolled his eyes behind Torn's back, and she bit her lip to suppress a giggle. "Tess," Torn said, turning to the blonde elf leaning against one of the bedposts, "Take her," Here, he jerked his head toward Raye, "Down to the women's quarters and get her some new clothes. You two are lucky that you didn't get caught just for that." Torn scoffed, eyeing Raye's rags with an obvious distaste.

Raye glared at him. 'I'd like to see you do better.' She growled in her mind as Tess took her arm and led her through a well-concealed door near the back of the room, and down another set of stairs.

"Don't let Torn get to you." She said, smiling back at her. "That tough ass attitude's all an act. Deep down he's a real softie."

"Yeah. I bet." Raye said, rolling her eyes to show that her beliefs were quite the opposite. "Reeeaaalll deep down."

Tess laughed. "You've just got to know how to look for it. I'm Tess, by the way."

"Raye." The raven-haired girl offered. "My friend's Jak. The annoying orange furball with a mouth is Daxter."

The blonde nodded, turning her eyes back to the front. After a few minutes, they stopped in front of a battered door. "C'mon, we can get you some new clothes in here."

Raye sat down on top of a low dresser as Tess rummaged through random drawers, tossing clothing out all over the place. Finally, she turned around and held out a pile to Raye. "Here. These should fit. I can find something else if they don't." She turned away and began her rummaging again, but turned back around before Raye could move to strip her clothes off. "There's a shower down the hall too, if you want."

Tess smiled at the way Raye's eyes lit up at the word. "Third door on the left." She said, watching as Raye practically ran out.

--

Clean, clean, clean! I'd forgotten what being clean felt like. The only times we got to clean up in the prison were by having a bucket of (usually cold) water thrown on us by one of the guards (usually Errol). But, god, I had never been so thankful that hot showers were invented.

'The only way that could have been better,' I mused to myself as I wrapped a towel around my body, 'Is if it was a bubble bath.' I blinked, surprised, as I saw a brush, comb, and bottle of lotion sitting on the counter of the bathroom. A pair of black, lace-up boots that looked like they'd easily reach my knees sat on the floor beneath my clothes.

"Tess." I laughed. Passing over the lotion completely, I reached for the brush. It took several minutes to do battle and win with all the knots in my hair- which was falling down to the middle of my back- but I did it, savoring the ability to run my fingers through it again. I quickly pulled on the outfit Tess had picked out for me- a reasonably low, cut-off crimson tank top and a pair of dark, leathery jeans that could almost pass for hip-huggers, along with the boots- before reaching for the doorknob.

I took a quick glance in the mirror as I walked out of the room. A pang of sorrow hit me when I realized that I barely even recognized myself.

"Look, I'm clean!" I said, latching onto Jak from behind as I saw him. I could feel the dampness of his hair against my face as he laughed.

"Me too." He said, prying my vice-grip from around his chest. He turned around, then cocked an eyebrow at my clothes. "Nice outfit."

"Shut up." I said, blushing and simultaneously sticking my tongue out. "I didn't pick them out. Besides, they fit and they're intact. All I care about right now."

"Good point." Jak said, obviously remembering the condition of my earlier garments- and his, no doubt.

I looked up at him. "Where's Daxter?"

"Asleep already." Jak said, smiling fondly at the mention of his small, furry friend. "We'll get to sleep in actual beds tonight."

"Mm, I know. It's great." The tension seemed to all but drain out of us as we continued to talk for a few more minutes, until I yawned.

"Okay, it's official, I'm exhausted." I muttered, rubbing my eyes. "Whaddyou say we get some sleep and deal with the king of grump in the morning?" I asked, jerking my thumb toward the door.

"Well, that's nicer than some of the things Torn's been called." Tess said, walking up. "If you two are ready to get some shut eye, I can show you where the bunks are." Jak and I eagerly followed her to the two separated bunkrooms, where I was more than grateful to take the nearest empty bunk and pass out on it.

--

"Morning." Raye greeted the next day as she walked into the ramshackle Underground 'cafeteria' and sat down next to Jak. There was already a plate of food waiting for her. "Thanks." She said, taking a bite of the slightly burnt toast.

"You slept in late." Jak commented as Raye finished off the toast.

Raye looked over at him, poking at her eggs with a fork. "Why, what time is it?"

"Around nine-thrity. That's late for us, though."

"Very good point." A shadow fell over her plate, and Raye tilted her head back to see Tess standing there. "Hi Tess."

The blonde smiled at her. "Hey. Listen, Torn wants to see you two after you're done here." Raye and Jak grimaced at each other. Tess rolled her eyes and waved goodbye as she walked away.

"This can't be good." Raye sighed, putting a forkful of egg in her mouth. She glanced over at Jak and suddenly noticed the lack of orange fur on his shoulder. "Hey, where's Daxter?"

"Hm?" Jak questioned, swallowing the food in his mouth. "Oh, Dax is still asleep."

"Still?"

Jak shrugged. "I'll go wake him up before we go talk to Torn." Raye just shook her head and finished her breakfast.

--

"C'mon Dax, wake up." I chuckled, nudging the ball of orange fur with a finger. His arm popped out and swiped at me, and I put a hand over my mouth to hide my laughter. Daxter never was a morning person.

Finally, getting annoyed by his stubborn refusal to wake up, I grabbed his tail and hauled him into the air.

"What the hell?!" He shouted, squirming in my grip.

"Careful, Dax, or I'll drop you." I warned, still grinning, as I turned him to face me.

He glared at me. "I despise you." He grumbled, crossing his arms. I grinned and righted him before setting him on my shoulder and walking out.

"So, you finally got him up, did you?" Raye asked, a teasing smile on her face. Daxter stuck his tongue out at her as she walked by me, and in return, she flipped him off. I shook my head. This was going to be the start of a LONG relationship…

When we walked through the door into the higher level of the Underground hideout, Torn's head immediately snapped up toward us. "Oh. It's you two."

"Somebody's not a morning person…" Raye whispered behind me. I smirked before returning my attention to the elf in front of me.

"Tess said you wanted to see us." I said, my eyes drifting to the item strapped on Torn's back. It was the curved sheath of a dagger. I had to force the muscles in my body not to tense up as I also noticed the two pistols at his waist. They were the same make as…

"I see she finally remembered to deliver my message." **(I'm ****not**** calling Tess stupid. All I'm saying that she's the type of girl who probably gets sidetracked easily.)** Torn scoffed, tearing me away from my drifting thoughts.

"What is it?" Raye asked impatiently, crossing her arms.

Torn leant back against the table he had been working on, crossing his arms and smirking cockily. "You sure you even have the fur for something this tough, princess?"

Raye's arms began to shake from the built up tension in her muscles, and her teeth were ground together, her eyes narrowed in a glare. "Just tell us." She growled.

He pulled the crescent shaped dagger from its sheath and began twirling it with an uncanny ease between his fingers. "Steal the Baron's banner from the top of the ruined tower in Dead Town and bring it to me. Then, maybe we'll talk." He smirked as he tossed the dagger into the air, catching it by the handle.

I couldn't help wishing that he'd grabbed the blade and sliced his hand open. "Deal." I said before really thinking about it. "Tell us how to get to Dead Town."

Torn looked over at Raye. "You said Kor gave you a map of the city, right?" She pulled it out of the pouch at her waist. Torn opened it and spread it on the table. "Here." He said, pointing. "Outside the city walls. There'll be a gate that'll let you out and back in when you're done." He smirked up at us. "If you don't get killed, that is."

Raye snatched the map up from the table- I could've sworn I heard it rip- and stormed out, her face crimson, though whether it was from anger or embarrassment I couldn't tell. I shook my head and went after her, giving vent to a silent sigh. That girl had a real issue with being told what to do…

"Are we really going to go to someplace called 'Dead Town'?" Daxter asked as we walked out the door.

"You have a better idea?" I asked. "I don't think that Torn guy is the type of person to let just anyone stay there, and we don't have anywhere else."

Raye sighed and crossed her arms. "No, what we don't have a choice. It's this or prison."

With the utmost caution, Raye and I slipped through town, avoiding the Krimzon Guard as much as we could. Which was harder than it sounds, because there were dozens on every street. Luckily, none seemed to recognize me or Raye.

"Are we almost there?" I asked finally, getting nervous at the great amount of Guards wandering the streets.

Raye reached into her pocket and pulled out the map, and I turned slightly to shield it from any prying eyes. I was pretty sure any Haven resident wouldn't need a map to get around.

"Yeah, I think so." She muttered, tracing out a path with her finger. "Should be just around this corner."

But what greeted us instead of a door, was a large pit in the ground. I growled. "That map's a piece of- Raye, _what_ are you doing?" I questioned, perplexed as to why she was climbing into the hole. Then I heard a noise that sounded like locks clicking. I walked over to the edge and saw the door. "Oh." I said smartly, jumping down after her. The door slid open with a hiss, and we stepped through to a small chamber with another door on the opposite side.

As we stepped forward, the door behind us slid shut, and the one in front of us opened. "Whoa…" I heard Raye gasp behind me.

The area was aptly named. The place was in shambles, with crumbling ruins of what used to be a city sprawled across a disgusting marsh. I grimaced at the smell and started forward. That's when an annoying little green lizard leapt out at me.

Now, most people's reaction would have been to scream. Most NORMAL people's, that is. I was so far from normal it wasn't even remotely funny. MY reaction involved a very quick punch to this annoying little… thing's face (bones cracked, I could feel them. Not in my hand, but in the thing's face) and send it flying into the murky brown marsh water.

"Oh that's sick." Raye gagged behind me. I couldn't suppress the little bit of nausea I felt either. The water- if it could even be called that- had eaten through the lizard's body like a slow acid. I did the thing a favor by killing it first.

"Okaaaayy…" Daxter drawled slowly, trying to hide his fear behind the usual sarcasm; which would have worked (not really) rather well had he not been riding on my shoulder, where I could feel him shaking. "So I guess that rules out swimming, huh?"

Raye and I both gave him a particularly dry stare. He just hunkered down on my shoulder and didn't say anything else.

"Now what?" I asked to no one in particular.

Then Raye walked right passed me and… hopped over the water? I walked forward and found that, when I got closer, that there were three small squares of wood floating on top of the water. That's what Raye had jumped over to the other piece of land on.

"How did you know about those?" I asked her, curious. If I couldn't see them, there was no way she could've from behind me.

Raye shrugged. "Actually, I'd kinda planned to just see how far I could jump and then get my ass out of the water before I got killed."

"You're insane." I laughed, shaking my head.

She paused, looking contemplative. "Yeah, probably. Now let's go find this flag so we can get out of this place."

"Banner." I corrected.

"Whatever." She replied, waving it off.

--

"Okay, Jak, this cannot be safe." Raye said as she looked at the stone "steps" in front of them. "There isn't any way that those things won't break when we touch them."

Jak looked around. "Do you see any other way up?" He asked, making a sweeping motion with his hand. Raye bit her lip.

"Fine. But I'm going first- I'm lighter." She said, taking a few steps back. With a running start, she managed to get up enough momentum to jump the first three stones without stopping, until she landed on one that didn't shake and crumble underfoot. She turned to see Jak already leaping from ledge to ledge, and, as predicted, they broke nearly as soon as he landed, forcing him to move quickly. "You alright?" Raye asked as he landed next to her.

"Yeah." He glanced back over his shoulder at the rocks plopping into the murky water below. "Guess it's a good thing you went first."

"Yeah. And lucky me, I get to do it again." She sighed as they walked along the narrow path that this particular ledge provided, finding more unstable stepping stones. Her next jumps were not as graceful as the first set, half of the third stone crumbling away when she lost her balance on landing and nearly fell with the rock except for Jak's quick thinking as he leapt across, grabbing her on his way and landing them both safely on the darker stone platform in front of them.

"Well, we aren't going back THAT way." Daxter commented as the two elves walked up the steps in front of them.

"Ya think?" Raye asked sarcastically.

Jak rolled his eyes. "Look, there's the flag-"

"Banner."

"-_Banner_. Let's get it and find another way down." He said, walking over and pulling the flag free of the stone pedestal it sat in. There was a short rumble, followed by a crack. Jak looked down just in time to see the stone beneath his feet split apart and crumble. There was a rather loud curse from behind him- signifying that Raye had found herself in the same predicament- and Daxter screaming (from somewhere above him) as he landed on a tarp that had somehow survived the ruin and bounced back up, Raye and Daxter not far behind. Jak grabbed Raye's arm in midair and maneuvered them both to land on the thick rope that was stretched tightly from the crumbling tower to somewhere on the ground.

Daxter's landing was not so graceful and raised his voice a couple of octaves before the rope snapped him back up into the air. Jak and Raye leapt off the rope, landing on the ground in front of an obviously-waiting-for-them-to-fail Torn, who had a look of slight surprise on his face as Jak triumphantly brandished the banner. All three looked up as the panicked screaming filling the air grew closer and Daxter slammed into the ground. This distraction was looked over as, behind them, the ruined tower- being put through much stress- finally crumbled apart into the muck it rested in.

Torn blinked at the destruction twice before turning back to face Jak and Raye, smirking. "Yeah. I guess you guys are in." He started to walk back toward the entrance. "Come back to the Underground when you're finished."

As Torn walked off, Jak and Raye turned to the Ottsel still lying on the ground. "Dax?" Jak asked, kneeling down next to him. "You okay?"

"Just. Peachy." Daxter growled, spitting dirt out of his mouth. Raye picked him up and set him back on his feet, trying not to giggle at the new Ottsel-shaped hole in the ground.

Jak stood up, looking around. "Let's just get out of here before all this noise attracts anymore unwanted attention." Daxter crawled back up to his usual perch and held on as the two elves took off for the exit.

--

SC: Aaaand we have more fixed chapters! Woo!


	4. New Orders

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except Raye.

-

Chap. 4

New Orders

"Princess! Where does he get the authority to call me that? And twice in one day!" Raye cursed under her breath, "I can't believe I actually liked this guy!"

-Flashback-

_"Errol? How can you like him!" Raye exclaimed._

_Jessi shrugged, "He's just so, ya know, commanding." She sighed._

_"He tries to freakin' kill you! He tries to run you over with a zoomer!" Raye protested, "Now Torn, on the other hand..." She got this weird, dreamy look on her face._

_Jessi put her hands up in a stop motion, "You're just defending him 'cause you think he's hot! Torn is a jerk. A traitor, too. He tells-"_

_"Hey! I don't wanna hear it! I'll get to the scene myself._(a/n: Raye and Jessi switched off playing the game. Raye didn't play the part where you find out Torn told Praxis about the Precursor stone.)_ Besides, at least Torn tries to help you. Errol tortures Jak for two years and would've killed him if Daxter hadn't shown up."_

_"So? Errol was trying to beat the metal heads, just like Jak!"_

_"Your point?"_

-End Flashback-

Raye laughed a little at the memory. She and Jessi had argued for another hour before they let the subject drop. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down, then looked at the clothing. After searching for a few minutes, she found an outfit that fit her and she liked. A crimson tank top that showed a good portion of her collar and stomach, and a pair of leather pants that, like the shirt, were considerably low cut. She scoffed at the style, but changed into the outfit anyways. _'If Jessi could see me now...' _She found a pair of boots that fit her and walked out. She giggled silently at the way Jak looked at her and glared at both of them, daring him and Daxter to say something. They smartly kept their mouths shut and walked out behind her.

As they got to the drain pipe, Raye glanced back to see Jak still looking at her. She giggled quietly and climbed into the pipe, and went through the door. "Alright, let's get this over with so we can get back to the city and I can seethe at Torn some more." Raye told them. Jak and Daxter rolled their eyes and followed her as she walked towards the beginning of the path to the valve. (I'm going to skip all of the walk there and go to the valve.)

"Have I mentioned that I hate metal heads?" Raye asked as she trudged behind Jak. He nodded.

"Five times."

"Just making sure." Daxter walked up to the valve wheel.

"Ah... the valve. Allow me." He said, grinning at Raye. She rolled her eyes as he futilely tried to turn the wheel. Jak sighed and hit the pipe, sucking Dax into the pipes. He and Raye ran to the edge as numerous clangs resounded from the pipes. "Jak help... Jak... please... help... please." Jak and Raye jumped down to the spot where Dax was stuck and Jak spun another valve to release his orange, furry friend. Daxter shot of the valve like a bullet.

Jak opened his mouth, but Daxter held a hand up to silence him. "Don't say it! Don't even chuckle! Next time, one of you turn the valve." Both elves seemed to be having trouble obeying this last command, as they both covered their mouths to muffle the snickering. Daxter jumped back up on Jak's shoulder and the threesome headed back to the city.

-

When they walked into the hideout, Torn was smiling evilly, "The Slum's water is back on! I'd love to see the heads roll when the Baron finds out!"

Jak scoffed, "Yeah, I'm sure he's losing a lot of sleep over this 'arm pit' of the city! We've done what you asked! Now when do we see the Shadow!"

"When I say so, IF I say so! But before I even think about it," He motioned them over, "I want you two to take care of an ammo dump we've I.D.'d in the fortress. Lot's of Krimzon Guards, constant patrols. WE know it's vulnerable, and the Underground needs you two to blow up all the ammo you find inside. Get ALL of it, and we'll deal a body blow to the Baron."

Daxter jumped up on the table, "You're sending us in, tough guy, so what's with all this 'we'll deal a body blow' stuff?"

Jak quieted him, "That's fine, I want the Baron to know it's ME who's hurting him."

Raye nodded in agreement, "Same here. As long as he knows who's doing it, I'm fine with that." She yawned.

Jak laughed, "Maybe we should get some rest first. Fighting a bunch of KGs half-asleep is not my idea of fun."

Torn nodded, "Fine. You can use the bunks." Raye picked the bunk farthest away from Torn. She was still sore about the "princess" thing. Jak sighed and took the bed across from her, falling asleep quickly.

-

DR: Okay, I finally thought of an outfit. I used one of the rejected outfits for Ashelin(having precursor orbs rocks!). I made them sleep because even if they don't in the game, they do have to sleep. And I didn't have any ideas. But I will tell you this: Raye's gonna have a restless sleep next chappie, but that is all I will tell you. RR people!


	5. Nightmare

DR: Okay, thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, and, since I only have thirty minutes, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't anything but Raye, so don't sue!

-Chap. 5-

-Nightmares-

-Dream Sequence-

_'What the hell? Where am I?' Raye thought, "Is this... Haven City?" She looked around her to see everything in ruins. "Who could've done this?" She asked herself._

_'Who indeed.' A voice hissed. Raye whipped around, her eyes scanning the area frantically._

_"Who's there? Show yourself!" The voice laughed._

_'Oh, but you already know who I am. Take a look in the mirror behind you.' Raye turned around and screamed. It was her! Or, at least, it looked like her. But it, she, looked so different. Her skin was white, pure white, and so was her hair. Claws extended from her hands and horns poked through her hair._

_"Oh god." She whispered, "The dark eco-"_

_'Created me. I suppose I have to thank the Baron for giving me a true form.' A wicked grin spread across its face, 'You're just like Jak. You have a dark side, and you can't control it.'_

_"You- you don't mean... I did this?"_

_Her dark half shrugged, 'Well, we did have a little help. That is, until Jak figured out he couldn't trust us. He was dealt with, though. Like everyone else. Torn was first. You know, that "princess" crack really pissed me off.'_

_"I won't let you do this."_

_Her reflection laughed, 'You can't stop me. I'm you. But you're welcome to try.' And try Raye did. She smashed the mirror. The glass shattered around her, and her darker self was reflected in the shards, 'I told you. You can't stop me or get rid of me. I'm part of you. Plain and simple.'_

_Raye shook her head, "No." She whimpered._

_'Yes. Now and forever. We are one.' Cruel laughter filled Raye's ears._

_"No!" She screamed, falling to her knees, clutching the sides of her heads._

-End Dream Sequence-

I jolted up in the bed, covered in cold sweat and shaking like a leaf. I looked across the room and saw that Jak and Dax were both still asleep. I slipped on my boots and walked outside. I leaned against the wall and rubbed my arms. That nightmare had scared the crap out of me. I looked at my hands. Was I really like Jak? Could I really transform like him? I pushed the thought out of my mind. A second later a drop of water hit the back of my hand. I looked up as rain started pouring down. I blinked and started laughing. I hadn't felt rain in so long, it surprised me. I jumped as the hideout door opened, and Torn walked out.

-Reg. POV-

"Hey princess, you're going to get sick if you stay out here." Torn said from the hideout door.

Raye glared at him, "Stop calling me that! It's Raye, not 'princess'!"

He smirked at her temper, "Fine then. What are you doing out here?"

"None of your business." She snapped, brushing past him and walking into the hideout. Torn nearly laughed at her brashness. She glanced over her shoulder before she sat down on her bed.

"Hey, don't you need to sleep to? I mean, I'm guessing you're not a robot."

He smirked, "That isn't any of your business." He walked back over to the table where his "world domination" plans were. Raye sighed and laid down. _'Oh yeah, reeeal mature Torn.'_

DR: Okay, this was the best I could do without having Raye try to kill Torn, so I apologize if it's bad. And I also apologize for it being so short.


	6. The Fortress Raid

DR: YESSSSSS! I have all three scene players! It only took me a month or so, but still! Getting those orbs was worth it! Now I can watch Daxter get drunk any time I want! Muahahahaha!

Torn: Wow.

Jak: Yep, she had sugar.

DR: Hehehe... 3 glasses of Koolaid, 6 oreos, and a small piece of chocolate. On with the story!

Chap. 6

The Fortress Raid

Jak woke up the next morning to see Raye sitting on the end of her bed, wide awake. "Bought time you woke up. Daxter has been yapping constantly and annoying the shit out of me and Torn." She told him, throwing a tied up rodent at him. Daxter had a piece of ductape over his mouth, and had his arms and legs tied together. "Though I must say, it was quite entertaining to see him hop around like that." Jak pulled off the ductape slowly.

"You are a -" Daxter said a word that Jak did not know he knew.

Raye didn't even blink, "Probably. C'mon Jak, we've got an ammo dump to blow up." She said, walking out the door. He sighed and followed. Surprisingly, there were two zoomers sitting outside. Raye jumped on to one and flew into the upper hover zone. Jak sighed and jumped onto the other one and followed her as she zoomed off.

When they reached the base, they parked their zoomers and walked in. The place was huge! While Raye gaped at the size of the place Jak examined the tank. "This thing looks dangerous."

"Well it obviously isn't working, so let's go." Daxter said hopping down from his shoulder and waking through the rods.

"Dax NO!" Raye yelled to late. The computer system came on and the tank started towards them. "Oh hell. RUN!"

Raye and Jak took off, Jak only stopping once to scoop up Daxter. They dodged the tanks bullets while jumping over the targeting lasers in the next room. They jumped up the boxes and into the next room.

"Raye hurry up!" Jak yelled as she jumped on the pole. She glared at him as she landed and ran into the room with the moving platforms. Raye jumped from platform to platform and smashed the blue rods, and the gate went down. They jumped through and ran into a bunch of Guards. They let out an unanimous sigh and stepped forward to take care of the problems.

"Alright, let's just blow up the friggin' ammo and get out of here." Raye said as she smashed through the last standing guards visor and broke his nose. Jak nodded and followed her tiredly. Beating up the Guards was hard enough, but after alternating beating them up and jumping from moving platform to moving platform god knows how many times was tiring. They continued forward until they found a room with another tank in it. "I suggest we don't touch that."

"Cool! That's a security pass. We need those to get through city check points." Daxter said. There was a "clang" below them and they tiptoed over to the vent in the floor. There were a pair of Krimzon Guards and metal heads standing down below them with barrels of eco next to them.

"Sshh." Jak quieted them.

"These barrels are the latest shipment of eco. The Baron says take them and get out!" One of the guards motioned towards the barrels. The metal heads growled and the guards raised their guns until the metal heads stopped growling and took the eco.

"Metal heads in the city? Why were the guards giving them eco?" Jak asked. Raye shrugged and froze as the sound of a engine started up. The three turned around to see the previously immobile tank behind them targeting them. Daxter jumped up on Jak's shoulder.

"May I suggest we RUN!" He yelled. The two elves ran around the boxes as the tank let loose a volley of bullets behind them.

"Jak, that must be the ammo Torn wanted us to blow up." Raye yelled, pointing at the missile-like things. She ducked behind one of them as the tank targeted them again.

"What are you doing?" Jak yelled.

"Trust me! Just get behind another one and wait for the tank to shoot it!" Jak sighed and did as she said. Seconds later, the tank had blown up the last of the ammo and the ten second countdown had started. Jak and Raye leaped for the door and got through just before the ammo dump blew up, landing in the water slums.

"Well, that was fun." Jak muttered sarcastically, "Raye are you alright?"

Raye clutched her leg, "I don't think so. I think some of the rubble got embedded in my leg." She pulled her hands back, and they were covered in blood, "Oh damn." She muttered.

"Oh hell. Raye hold still." Jak tore a piece of his tunic off and wrapped it around her leg, pulling her onto a nearby zoomer, taking off towards the underground hideout.

DR: Ooh, ouchies. Poor Raye.

Jak: Why did you do that to her?

DR: Because. What are the chances of you two getting out of there, having the ammo dump blow up _right behind you_, and neither of you get hit with something? Slim, my friend. Very slim. Okay, if anyone has any suggestions on what should happen, feel free to tell me, because I'm kinda stumped.


	7. Meeting Krew and Sig

DR: Okay, Chap 7.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Raye.

-

-Chap. 7-

-Meeting Krew and Sig-

Torn was looking over his plans when a certain orange, and incredibly annoying, rodent leaped onto the table. "The 'demolition trio' has returned! One BBQ'd ammo dump, served up hot! We have a slight problem though." Daxter made a 'small' motion with his fingers as Jak brought Raye in. He had an arm around her waist, and one of her legs was dragging limply on the ground.

"What happened?" Torn asked as the blonde set Raye down on one of the beds.

"We blew the ammo up, and some of debris from the explosion hit me." Raye explained as Torn grabbed a few bandages.

"Looks minor, it shouldn't do any damage." He told her, wrapping the cut. She winced once and bit her lip from the pressure, but didn't say anything.

"We saw something odd while torching that ammo. The Baron's guards were giving eco to a group of Metal Heads!"

Raye nodded and stood shakily, "Almost like a bribe."

"Really! The Shadow will be very interested to hear that." Torn muttered, like he was thinking aloud.

Daxter crossed his arms, "You know, so far your gigs have been easier than stealn' grass from a sleeping yakow."

Torn laughed, "You and the rodent want to start proving yourselves? One of our 'suppliers' needs his payment-two bags of eco ore. Take the zoomers parked out back and drive them to the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon in South Town. Ask for Krew-he'll be there. And don't let the Baron's patrols stop you." The elves started to leave, but Torn stopped them, "By the way, when you get there, pump Krew for information. He's wired into the city and may know what the Baron is up to.

"You can count on us!" Daxter said. Raye and Jak both rolled their eyes at the ottsel. More like them. Daxter would more than likely be on Jak's shoulder, telling them what to do.

"Are you still here?" Jak grabbed Daxter and walked out the door to see Raye already sitting on one of the zoomers.

"Can you believe him? Where running around, doing his dirty work, and he-"

Jak cut her off, "Raye. I'm just as ticked at him as you, but the sooner we get this done, the closer we are to seeing the Shadow.

She sighed, "Yeah, sorry. I know. How about we get going?" She asked, letting him start his zoomer and take off before her. They reached the Industrial Section without any problem, but then the trouble started. As soon as they rounded the first corner, a KG roadblock started shooting. A talk box flew up.

"It's an ambush! Turn around and get back to the hideout!"

"Didn't you say something about not letting the Baron's guards stopping us? I don't know what Jak's doing, but I'm going to keep going!" Raye yelled to the floating machine, before taking off, below the guards roadblock.

"Jak, unless you want to get shown up by a girl, follow her!" The Torn yelled before the box was blown up by a guards bullet. Jak sped off as a volley of bullets rained down on the spot he was just in. He caught up to Raye, who was still dodging bullets.

"Are you insane!" He yelled. She shot him a wild grin and sped below the second roadblock.

"Yahaha!" She cried as she dodged bullets and guards. _'Well that pretty well answers my question.'_ Jak thought as he sped under the guards as well.

Three minutes later, they were at the 'Triple H' Saloon. Raye jumped off her still intact zoomer and grabbed the bag of eco ore and walked inside with Jak behind her. "Your either insane, brave to the point of death, or suicidal. I can't figure out which." Jak muttered. She laughed and gave him a brief hug.

"Aw, c'mon. You're starting to sound like Daxter, you worry-wart!" She laughed and walked inside beside him. Jak couldn't help but crack a smile. As soon as they walked into the bar Daxter started showing off.

"Let me handle this Jak. Watch my finesse and style." He jumped off Jak's shoulder and walked towards Sig.

"Don't forget to ask about..." Jak started, but his friend ignored him.

"Everything's cool. Don't panic. Hey, big guy!" Daxter said, walking under Sig. His jaw dropped as he saw Krew himself, "You Krew? Well, we shook the heat and your shipments in primo condition."

Krew floated down, "That's good, 'ey, because a cargo of rare eco ore is worth more than ten of your lives, mmmmm and of course, I'd be forced to collect... ah slowly." He laughed and circled around Raye and Jak, "The Underground will take anyone with a pulse these days." Jak noticed the way Krew looked at Raye, and instinctively pulled her closer to him, giving Krew a 'back off' look. Krew glared for a moment, before being distracted by Daxter jumping on to Jak's shoulder, "And what do we have here? The Shadow's mascot of the month?" He petted him roughly, "Oooo, soft... Sig, this fur would go well with my silk suits, 'ey?"

Daxter immediately lost his show-offy air, "Listen, ah, tons of fun, anyone can see that you, uh, and I have the real juice in this burg. We're both players, right? We're both looking for a piece of the action, right? I think we can do business, right?"

Jak finally cut the stuttering ottsel off, "We did you a favor, now it's your turn. Why is the Baron giving eco to Metal Heads?" He asked sharply.

Krew flew up close and personal to Jak and Raye, who stepped back, "Questions like that could get a person killed 'ey! Sig," He motioned to the elf behind him, "give 'el Capitan' here and his friend a bonus." Both Raye and Jak tensed up, preparing for a fight. Sig, however, handed them two guns, which they took without hesitation, "If you want to see what those babies can do, try the gun course outside. Show me some skill with that hardware, and I'll hire you for a job or two, 'ey." Krew told them, flying back up to the ceiling. Jak and Raye shot each other evil grins and walked out, tucking the guns away so the KG wouldn't stop them or send the city on the high alert.

-

At the gun course, Jak had just finished the course itself and Raye was examining her scatter gun, "You know, it's funny how a gun can change your opinion of someone." She said, brushing off some burnt cardboard.

Jak laughed, "Yeah. This thing is fun. Not the best aim ever, but still pretty good. Let's get back to the Saloon. I have a feeling Krew has a mission for us."

Daxter rolled his eyes, "Oh great. Another mission is just what we need after all of the tattooed wonder's missions." Raye gave him a 'look' that clearly stated shut up. He whimpered and she put the gun away, walking towards the door with a fleeting grin on her face.

"Let's go." She turned halfway around, "Of course, if Dax doesn't want to go see Krew, we could always see if Torn had something for us to do." She suggested innocently.

"Uh, did I say that? I meant back to the saloon!"

-

DR: Funny how Daxter changed his mind so fast. I really am mad at my Jak and Daxter game, because collecting those 100 power cells is harder than getting precursor orbs! I would really appreciate it if someone would tell me what's behind that door. Thanks! RR!


	8. Krew's First Job

DR: Okay, I'm on Chapter 8. Finally. I started a new game on Jak 2(don't ask why; I've beat it twice.) and decided to take a little poll on what my reviewers fav Dark Jak move is. Personally, mine's Dark Bomb, because it wipes out everything in range and goes matrix style. It is also really affective when you're surrounded by scorpions, though it isn't worth shit against flying things. /Dark Jak appears and glares/ Oh, I'm rambling, aren't I?

Dark Jak: Ya think?

DR: Eh heh heh... on with the story! And yes, I want to know what is behind the door in Jak and Daxter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but Raye.

-Chap. 8-

-Krew's First Job-

As they walked back to the Hip Hog, Raye teased Jak about how she got a higher score that him in the gun course.

"Say it."

"No."

"C'mon Jak. Say it."

"You're going to keep bugging me until I do, aren't you?" Raye nodded, "I hate you."

"Say it and I'll stop bugging you about it."

Jak sighed, "Fine. You... beat me bad in the gun course. There, ya' happy?" Raye nodded and walked into the Hip Hog, glaring at a nearby Krimzon Guard. Krew flew down as the elves entered.

"Excellent shooting! You two ever think about being wastelanders, mmmmm?" Krew asked, a nasty gleam in his eyes.

Jak and Raye gave each other a semi-confused look, "Can't say that I have." Jak shrugged.

"Me either." Raye confessed.

"Wastelanders find items for me outside the city walls, 'ey. Any artifact or weapon worth having comes through my hands. Work for me, and I'll throw some of the sweeter items your way, mmmmm?"

Jak paused to consider this, "Kill Metal Heads. Get toys? Sounds good to me. What about you Raye?"

She grinned wickedly, "Same here. Getting toys for killing Metal Heads sounds fun."

Daxter interrupted them, "Slow down there, Jak, Raye, and the fat man, you three had better run that by me again... 'cuz there is NO WAY I'm going outside the city wall to face more Metal Heads!" Dax yelled.

"You don't do anything but sit on Jak's shoulder! WE'RE ones who do all the work!" Raye yelled, hitting the rodent.

"Sig will show you the ropes." Krew told them, gesturing to said elf.

Sig stepped up in front of Raye and Jak, "So YOU want to be wastelanders, huh doughboys? Well we'll see what you're made of when we get out in the thick. Krew wants some new trophies to put butts in chairs at the Hip Hog. So I'm gonna bag him five nasty Metal Heads at the Pumping Station." Daxter gulped, making Sig laugh, "Don't wet your fur, chili pepper, cause we're rollin' with the Peace Maker." Sig motioned to his gun proudly.

"Wooooh, I need one of those! Where'd you get it?" Daxter asked.

Krew flew down, "Don't ask. Sig needs someone to watch his back while he tracks the Metal Heads, 'ey?"

Sig gave a slight nod and turned back to Raye and Jak, "We'll meet at the Pumping Station. Listen cherries, don't you leave me dangling in the wind out there!"

"Let's do it." Jak said.

Raye nodded behind him, "We'll be there. Count on it."

Outside the Saloon, Jak and Raye "borrowed" a zoomer from a passing citizen and headed for the Pumping Station. "You know, I think I like Sig more than Torn." Raye mused behind Jak. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"Why? Because he doesn't call you 'princess'?"

Raye nodded, "Yeah. Because Sig is not being a sexist pig, unlike the tattooed wonder."

Jak parked the zoomer at the drain pipe. "Alright, let's go."

At the Pumping Station, Jak and Raye walked up behind Sig. "Hello cherries. Ready to hunt a few Metal Heads? Follow me, stick close, and watch my six. It's gonna be fun." Sig said, cocking his gun and walking out from behind the bush. The two elves followed, pulling out their scatter guns. After disposing of the enemies, they jumped on the rising platforms and Sig pulled out his gun. "Get behind me while I toast that tank." He said, charging the Peace Maker up. Seconds later, nothing remained of the tank but rubble.

After disposing of the Juice Goons, (Yes, that is what they're called) Sig spotted the first target, "There's our first target. Keep the other creatures back while I charge up the Peace Maker." He told them, cocking the gun. They did so, firing their scatter guns at the things that jumped out of the water. Sig fired and hit the Metal Head, and it's charred carcass fell into the water. Raye sighed and knocked the last creature into the water, _'One down, four to go.'_ She thought as Jak and Sig ran down the ramp. She followed behind slowly, hoping to not get hit by a Juice Goon. Unfortunately, she did.

"Aaagh!"

Jak turned around, "Raye!" A little green lizard bit him as he turned around.

"Watch your back rookie!" Sig yelled, shooting the Metal Head that was shooting Raye, "You okay cherry?" Raye nodded and shot at the Metal Head behind him. "There's our second target." Sig told them, charging the Peace Maker again. Raye and Jak shot at the creatures that jumped out of the water, and yet again, the target fell into the water. They repeated this process for two more Metal Heads until they reached the last one.

"That," Daxter muttered, "Was a wonderful time for your Peace Maker to short out, Sig."

"Oh yes, and it concerned you why? You were cowering in fear on Jak's shoulder." Raye snapped. She was still sore from getting zapped by the goon.

"Woah, easy you two. Calm down." Jak ordered, "Sig, are we almost to the next target?"

"Yep. There it is." Sig nodded, pointing, "You know the drill chili peppers." Raye and Jak nodded and shot their scatter guns off at basically anything that moved towards them. After a few seconds, Sig stood and fired the shot, and another Metal Head bit the dust. "BOOM! Home team five, Metal Heads nothing! That was the last one. Tell Krew we got 'em all cooked and canned. I'm gonna clean the Peace Maker and pick up the trophy. Ya did good, rookies." He told them. The two elves walked off while Sig polished his gun.

"That was fun." Jak laughed. Raye glared and 'tch'-ed at him.

"You're not the one who got zapped." She muttered, annoyed.

Jak slowed down to walk next to her, "Aw, c'mon, Raye. It was only one hit."

She managed a weak grin, "It still hurt." She whined. Jak laughed and faked a punch at her.

Back in the city, Jak and Raye were walking back to the Hip Hog when a talk box flew up. "Jak, Raye. Get back to the Hip Hog. I've got another mission for you." Krew ordered over the machine. Daxter glared at the machine as it flew away.

"What are we? His servants?"

Raye giggled a little at Daxter's sudden outburst, "Hey, just be glad we aren't going back outside the city to face more Metal heads." Raye scolded, walking towards a parked zoomer. Jak laughed as Dax shuddered on his shoulder and hopped onto the zoomer in front of Raye, taking off towards the bar.

­

DR: Hah! Okay, I confess I am giving Raye a Dark form (Dark Jak: Really? Yes!), but I need some serious help figuring out where to make her transform. Yeah, I know. Pathetic, huh? Okay, R&R please!


	9. Meeting the Oracle and Krew's Sewer Job

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Jak 2 or Naughty Dog.

Conversation translations:

"blah" - talking

"blah" - emphasized word

'blah' - normal thinking

_'blah'_ - Dark Jak or D. Raye thinking, talking, whatever.

Chap. 9

Meeting the Oracle and Krew's Sewer Job

As Jak drove out of the water slums, he felt this strange nagging feeling to go back. And, by the look on her face, so did Raye. Jak braked the zoomer and turned around, back to the Water Slums. "Jak," Daxter whined, "What are you doing? The bar is that way!" Daxter pointed in the opposite direction.

"I know, Dax. It's just... I've got this weird feeling that something is, I don't know, calling me." Jak explained.

"Oh yes. The great voice of the Slums is calling you back. I can hear it now. Jak... Jak... Ja-" Raye clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Daxter if you don't shut up right this instant, I'll throw you into the water in the slums, and laugh at your pitifully futile attempts to get out." She growled. Under her hand, she felt the ottsel gulp and nod his head quickly. She pulled her hand away and put it back around Jak's waist, "Now keep your mouth shut." She ordered. One of the reasons Raye was being so snappy is that voice, the one she heard in her nightmares, was bugging her.

_'Throw him in.' _It urged, _'Do it. I bet Jak would be grateful, and it would probably make that oncoming headache go away.'_ Raye ignored it and felt the zoomer stop next to one of the makeshift huts that the Slums were famous for. She jumped off the zoomer as Jak turned it off, letting it sink down to the lower hover zone. They walked inside and let out a collective gasp as they saw the huge precursor oracle.

"Oh. My. God." Raye muttered. The thing was humongous! 'It looks like a shrine to the ancient Precursors' Raye thought, still agape.

"You said it." Jak muttered back.

The Oracle's eyes lit up, "Greetings great warriors. I sense there is a dark rage burning within you and, in time, it will destroy you with its madness. Only the last power of the Precursors can save you. Destroy my enemies, the creatures you call the Metal Heads. Bring me twenty-five of their skull gems and I will teach you how to control these powers." They turned to leave, but the Oracle's voice boomed behind them, "Wait! You are welcomed back to this world, child. When the time comes, you shall play an important role in saving us, side-by-side with the Dark One." This was obviously directed at Raye, since she knew Jak was the "Dark One."

"What do you mean, back to this world?" She asked.

"Time shall reveal all to you." The Oracle told her before its eyes dimmed. Raye walked out, more confused than ever.

"Raye, what was it talking about?" Jak asked, almost as confused as his friend.

Raye turned around, "To tell you the truth, Jak, I really don't know." She admitted half-heartedly.

Raye hopped off of the zoomer Jak had stolen from a citizen in the slums, "I didn't know that one guy could say so many curse words in one breath." She commented. Jak shrugged and walked into the bar and Krew flew down in front of him.

"You two are turning out to be quite useful, 'ey? Mmmm, I have another task for you. The Sewers(a/n: why do they capitalize everything!) used to be a fabulous smuggling route for me before the Baron installed security devices." Krew growled.

"And before those late night snack runs kept you from fitting out the front door." Daxter said.

"Daxter..." Raye scolded, though the harsh tone was ruined by the fact she was giggling madly.

"I've bet you've hatched another 'brilliant' plan in that hungry little brain of yours," Jak said, tapping the side of his head, "So... who or what do we have to shake down, knock out, or blow up?"

Krew tapped his fingers together, "Well, I need someone to go down and shoot every Sentry Gun in the Sewers, and I'll give you a sweet weapon upgrade if you succeed.

Daxter picked that moment to, of course, open his large mouth, "Let me guess... dank, murky water?" Krew nodded, "Reeks worse than your breath at an oyster fest?" Krew glared at the rodent, but Daxter didn't get the hint, "Fuller o' Metal Heads than your plate at a one pass buffet?" The fat man looked ready to kill, "And of course, weapons more lethal than your 'ever so tighty whiteys' on a hot summer day?" Daxter pinched a fold of fat and Krew slapped at his paw, "Listen donut hole, why don't we float around here looking hot and heavy, and you go roto-root the pipes?"

Raye put her hand over his mouth yet again as Jak stepped forward, "We're not doing anything until you tell us why Metal Heads are trading with the Baron's forces!" He told Krew. Raye sighed. This was not going to go well.

Krew flew into Jak's face, "I should have had you both knee-capped, 'ey? All I know is that the Baron cut a desperate deal with the Metal Head leader. Mmmmm, Metal Heads need eco, so the Baron supplies them with regular shipments. In return, the Metal Heads agreed to attack the city just enough to satisfy the Baron's continued rule."

Raye scoffed, "I betcha that deal won't last long."

"Well, the Baron is running short on eco, 'ey? And the Metal Heads are short on patience. Baron Praxis NEEDS this war to keep in power. Otherwise, the city would put the true ruler on the throne, wherever that little brat is."

Jak glared, "Raye and I will clear the Sewers. And we haven't forgotten about those weapon upgrades you promised in return." He said, walking out with Raye, who now had Daxter on her shoulder, behind him.

"Bloodsuckers!" Krew muttered as they left.

"Jak are you sure that was smart?" Daxter asked, trying his hardest to peer down Raye's shirt without being caught. Unfortunately for him, Raye did catch him. She smacked him, hard, and he fell to the ground. Jak laughed as Daxter picked himself off the ground.

"Little rodent pervert." Raye muttered, walking off. Jak followed her, still laughing as Dax climbed onto his shoulder, muttering curse words under his breath.

DR: Hee hee! Daxter got smacked, Daxter got smacked! I'm sorry for the perverted-ness, but I couldn't resist. It is, after all, Daxter the Womanizing rat.

Daxter: Ottsel!

DR: Whatever. Chapter 9 is done though, so that's always good. Okay, next Chappie, the Sewer mission/trumpets sound/

Random Reader/sarcastically/ Hoo-ra.

DR/Pulls out Vulcan Fury/

Random Reader: MEEP/runs away/

DR: That's what I thought. B.T.W. , I'm skipping the sewer mission. It isn't really vitally important about to the story line, and I really just don't like it, so it's gettin' skipped. And if anyone is confused about the thing that the Oracle said, again I shall say don't worry. It will all become much clearer as the story goes on. R&R people. And if anyone starts singing the "Don't worry, be happy song," I'll kill them.


	10. After the Sewer Mission

DR: Woo-hoo! Chapter ten! I was going to write another story to go along with this one, but it involved me bringing Jessi into the game as well, and I didn't want to be accused of stealing JaksGirlKenya's story idea. So I'm not going to write it unless I get permission from one of my fav writers of Jak related stories. And to answer a few questions:

I'm not going to make anything happen between Jak and Raye because Jak hasn't met back up with Keira yet. I will, however, inform you that there will be a small (how to put this?) argument, I guess, between the two girls. And I have it all planned out when the Raye/Torn thing will happen, but it isn't for a bit, so bear with me here.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naughty Dog, Jak 2, etc. But I will, as soon as my army of gerbil commandos is prepared for attack. But that may take a while, so I will just have to be satisfied with this story for the time being.

Chap. 10

After the Sewer Mission

I was silent as Jak and I rode the elevator out of the sewer. I had trouble with this mission in the game, but in real life, it just sucked. One of us, i.e. Jak, had to distract the turrets while the other, i.e. me, shot the gun down. That plan failed numerous times, though, because half the time the gun targeted me instead of Jak. And I had the wound to prove it. My shoulder had been shredded from the bullets. Jak on the other hand, had numerous small cuts but nothing serious. So he was perfectly fine while my shoulder was throbbing and sore as hell.

"Raye? Are you alright?" Jak put his hand on my good shoulder. I jerked my shoulder away at his touch, like he had burned me. He got a slightly hurt look before putting his hand back at his side. I was a little pissed off at the moment, from the bullet wound.

I bit my lip, "Sorry. I just..." I trailed off, trying to decide what to say.

"Hey, didn't the floating lard tub say something about weapon upgrades?" Daxter asked, changing the subject right on time.

"Yes, I believe he did. I say we go get our new 'toys'." Jak grinned at me. I nodded and started towards the saloon.

"Race ya'!" I yelled, taking off at top speed. Jak let out a cry of protest that I was cheating before I heard his footsteps coming up behind me. In a few seconds he was in front of me and I was looking at his back. I growled at him and sped up, overtaking him inch by inch.

"That... was not... fair. I... am injured." I panted while Jak gloated his victory. He had beaten me to the Hip Hog Saloon by almost a minute.

"That was for beating me in the gun course." He laughed, walking inside. I glared at him and followed him inside, hitting him as Krew sniffed the air.

"What is that horrible smell!" Krew asked to nobody in-particular. I doubt he even knew we were there until Daxter opened his loud mouth once again. Where was the ductape when it was needed most?

"Oohh, great, we do YOUR dirty work in the Sewers and come back smelling worse than a wet hip hog in a warm barn!" Dax leaned closer to Jak's ear, "This could have a serious impact on the lady factor!" He whispered into Jak's ear, which earned him an eye roll from both of us and a light whap from me.

"No, uh, I think it was my lunch, actually." Jak and I moved away from Krew a little bit. "I guess your looking for those weapon upgrades, mmm?"

"Yes, actually, we were." I said cooly.

"Hmph. Well, there's a couple blaster mods stashed in some crates in the Port. Find them, and they're yours..." Krew laughed, floating back up to the ceiling. I glared at him and walked out the door.

"Well, he was a lot of help. Those mods could be anywhere in the Port!" Daxter yelled.

I smirked. "I think I know where they are." I said, starting towards the Gun Course. Jak gave me an odd look. 'Crap.' I thought, 'I can't make Jak more suspicious about me. He's already curious enough about the things the Oracle said, I can't increase it.'

"How do you know for sure where the mods are?"

I shrugged, "Well, I mean, the most obvious place for someone like Krew to stash a couple gun mods would be the Gun Course, right?" I stammered nervously. Jak looked at me strangely again and shrugged.

"That seems reasonable." He said, walking to the gun course. I let out a sigh of relief and followed him quickly, thankful that he didn't question me further.

At the course, I busted open one of the KG crates and pulled out a Blaster mod.. I stuck it onto my morph gun and it immediately reconfigured to the sleeker Blaster mode. This was my weapon of choice, after the Peacemaker. Jak had done his little show-offy gun flip thing and was grinning at Daxter evilly. "This is gonna be useful."

I nodded and shoved the gun so it wasn't pointing at me as the talkbox flew up and Sig's voice came over it. After he gave us "Blaster 101", we walked outside.

I put the gun up before any guards saw it. "Alright, we've got the new guns, all we need is a mission to try them o-" I cut off because the talkbox Torn had given us flew out of Jak's pocket. Torn had really weird timing. I wondered if he planned when to call and give us a mission, or he just picked annoying times at random.

"Jak, you and Raye need to get back to the hideout. I've got a mission for you." Torn barked before the machine shut off.

"What are we! His slaves that are supposed to come at his every beck and call!" Daxter asked after the talk box flew back into Jak's pouch.

"Oh, come on, Dax. He's not all _that_ bad." I scolded over my shoulder, walking towards a parked zoomer. Jak and Daxter gave each other a confused look before grinning at each other evilly.

"Hey Dax, did Raye just say that Torn wasn't 'all that bad' ?" Jak asked.

"Why, yes, Jak I think she did."

"And wasn't she complaining earlier about what a jerk he was?"

"Correct again. She did say that he was a jerk who made you two run around doing his dirty work. I wonder what made her change her mind?" Daxter asked with fake curiosity.

I could feel the blood rush to my face, which I guessed was the color of a strawberry. "Shut up, both of you." I muttered, starting the zoomer, "If all you're going to do is tease me, then I'm leaving without you." I said, taking off for the hideout. Jak and Daxter stood there, shocked. I smirked at the looks on their faces before zooming towards the hideout.

I still had the same smirk on my face as I walked through the hideout door. I did eventually stop to let the boys catch up, but they were mad as heck when they did, and they weren't talking to me. That didn't phase me much, though. Actually, not having Daxter talk to me made me extremely content with my decision to ditch them, but it kinda hurt that Jak was ignoring me too. Torn barely glanced up as we walked into the hideout.

He motioned us over. "One of the Baron's mining operations is under attack by Metal Heads."

"That's not OUR problem." Jak told him.

"Yeah, since when does the Underground care if something of the Baron's is going wrong?" I asked.

Torn replied to my question by glaring at me, but he answered Jak, "It IS our problem when the foreman's one of the Underground's best informants! His name is Vin and he's just valuable enough to save. Find the Warp Gate at the Power Station and use it to travel to the Strip Mine so you two can save Vin's pathetic hide."

At this point Daxter jumped on the table, "Hey, Tattooed Wonder, how come we get all the crappy missions!" He yelled.

"Because I... DON'T... LIKE... YOU!" Torn told him, shoving him off the table.

Dax gave him the okay sign, "Fair enough." He jumped back onto Jak's shoulder.

"I'd have to agree with him there." I muttered. Did Torn just smirk after I said that?

"Whatever deal the Baron made with the Metal Heads, the city's eco is almost gone, and his time is running out. If we don't get the kid back on the throne soon, there may not be a city left to defend. Now get moving!" Torn growled.

I sighed and walked out with Jak, "He's in a wonderful mood today."

"Tch. Yeah, right." Jak rolled his eyes.

I sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, "Alright, let's go save Vin. I need to blow up some Metal Heads anyways."

DR: Finally! I got Chapter 10 done! It's over four pages long, go me! Okay, I know I took forever and I'm sorry. I'm not gonna be able to update for another week though because I'm going to Florida for spring break and will be busy doing other things like swimming and getting sand out of my hair after I go to the beach. So I won't be able to update for a week, but I will miss my computer and PS2 dearly. Bye for a week everyone.


	11. Saving Vin's Pathetic Hide

DR: Hello wonderful fans! I would like to introduce everyone to my kitten muse, Puck. Um... but first I have to find him. Puck? Ohhhh, Puck?

Puck: (sitting on top of my head laughing)

DR: (whispering) Okay, yes I know where he is, for the moment I shall let him play his silly, kitten games and let him think he is winning. (in normal voice) Oh well, I cannot find my darling kitten muse. I guess I shall just have to give away his tuna to someone else.

Puck: Tuna! Gimme, gimme, GIMME!

DR: That's what I thought.

Disclaimer: Everything in this story, except Raye, is Naughty Dog's stuff. Not. Mine. Got it?

Chap. 11

Saving Vin's Pathetic Hide

Raye hopped off her zoomer at the ramp that went up to the Power Station. She really didn't feel like getting the guards after her, so she wasn't taking her zoomer up the ramp with her, which was one of her favorite pastimes in her world when she was playing the game. She stumbled a bit up the ramp, because she was completely tired and drained of energy, which would not help in this mission at all.

Jak came up behind her as she yawned. "Tired Raye?"

She glared at him, "I'm not used to playing hero twenty-four seven." She growled before yawning once again.

"Maybe you should go back to the hideout and get some rest. I can handle this by myself." He assured her. Daxter coughed, "Ah, I mean that Daxter and I can handle this by ourselves."

Raye shook her head, "No way. I can handle this. I'll rest after this mission. Now let's go before I do fall asleep." She ordered, walking through the incredibly slow moving Power Station door. Jak followed her, shaking his head. _'She is one stubborn girl.'_ When he got up the ramp and came in she was examining the panel near the Warp Gate. "How do you turn this thing on?" She glanced up and spotted a button on top of the gate labeled "on/off". "Oh. Never mind. Why is the most obvious answer always sitting right in front of me?" She pushed the button and the gate lit up with its usual blue light. She pulled out her blaster, yelled at Jak to hurry up, and jumped through the portal.

-Raye's POV-

Jak came through the portal about two seconds after I landed. "What took you?"

He smirked, "Somebody didn't want to go through the portal and was whining about it." He motioned towards the shaking lump of orange fur on his shoulder. _'Torn would love this.'_ I thought, giggling. Jak glanced around, "For a Metal Head attack, it sure is quiet."

I nodded, "Yeah, it's actually pretty peaceful. If you think giant pools of dark eco are peaceful." I glanced at the two pools that were so conveniently placed on either side of us. "Five bucks says as soon as we step forward, we get ambushed."

Daxter laughed nervously, "Yeah right." Jak pulled out his Blaster and took a few steps forward, causing a group of Stingers to pop out of the ground.

"You both owe me five bucks!" I yelled, shooting the scorpion-like creatures. Jak laughed and picked off the rest of the group.

"That was not worth five bucks." He grinned and shot the Wasp(I think that's what it's called) that was approaching us, then collected the skull gems. As we turned the corner the waiting Grunts slid down the hill. "Oh, shit."

"Are those worth five bucks?" I asked sarcastically as another group of Stingers popped up. I switched over to Scatter Gun and wiped them out, then picked up the skull gems. I switched back to Blaster and disposed of the Grunt that was coming at me. "Next time maybe you should listen to me."

"I'll remember that, thanks." He muttered, destroying another stinger that had popped up. He peered around the boxes in front of us. "Great, more Grunts. I'm really sick of this world." Daxter nodded in agreement.

"Betcha we could hop up on these boxes and play sniper with our Blaster mods." I suggested. Jak grinned and climbed on top and shot all of the stupid creatures before they knew what was going on. I ran over and grabbed the gems, avoiding as much of the dark eco as I could. "We are so going to see the Oracle after we're done with this." I muttered, rubbing my eyes. I rode up the moving ramp to the next level to see, joy of all joys, more stupid Grunts. 'Whoop-dee-friggin'-doo.' I thought and punched one off the platform before shooting the other. Then came one of my least favorite parts.

Jak walked towards the moving crates, "You coming?"

I nodded and jumped to the crate before it pulled too far away, "Have I mentioned that I have a great fear of falling into a bottomless abyss?" I asked.

"No, but I'll keep that in mind. We've got company." He told me, pointing to the pair of Wasps flying at us. After we disposed of them and the other Metal Heads that were idiotic enough to attack us when we jumped off the crate, we walked towards the door.

"Push the button Jak!" Daxter urged from the level of said elf's knee. Jak gave him that "don't tell me what to do" look and punched the button. As soon as the door opened, a flurry of bullets came flying out, causing Jak, Daxter, and I to jump to either side of the door.

"Aggghhh! Stay back!" A familiar voice yelled.

"Do something Jak! This guys crazy!" Dax yelled from behind my leg. I would've kicked him except I didn't feel like becoming Swiss cheese.

Jak nodded and peered inside as far as he dared, still avoiding bullets, "Hey! Are you Vin? We're here to help. Torn sent us.

"And I wish he'd warned us the guy we were sent to save was insane." Daxter muttered. I stepped on his paw, making him yelp.

"Stay back!" Vin yelled. Jak realized he wasn't doing any good and motioned for me to try.

I turned my head towards the door, "If we were here to kill you, do you think you'd be talking right now?" I yelled over the sound of the gun. The shots ceased abruptly.

Vin collapsed onto the equipment in front of him, "Oh, friendlies? Oh thank goodness! We... So... Whe... Where's the army?"

Dax glanced at me and Jak, "Ah... we're it." He explained.

Vin looked shocked, "What! Just you three!" He tapped himself on the head with his gun, "What do they think I'm worth!"

"Thinking about what Torn said, not very much." I mumbled so Vin couldn't hear me, but both of the others could.

Jak sighed, "Look, you can stay here and be Metal meat, but Raye, Dax, and I are leaving before those monsters get back." Vin slipped out of the room holding his gun like James Bond. I shook my head and jumped back through the Warp Gate, glad to be back in Haven City for once. As soon as he got through, Vin immediately went over to the computers lining the walls.

"Hey, I want to thank you guys for saving my butt back there at the Strip Mine." He told us, examining the numerous screens in front of him.

"And we'd like to thank you for being such a bad shot." Daxter retorted sarcastically.

"Ah yeah, sorry about that guys. Ah, I'm a bit jumpy these days." He apologized, typing absentmindedly.

"Really? We didn't notice." Daxter said innocently. But with Daxter, nothing was ever innocent, and the look on his face revealed that he was about to do something bad. Suddenly, he pointed behind Vin, "AHH! Metal Head behind you!" He screamed.

Vin jumped around screaming bloody murder, "AHH! Whatha! Whotha! Wha!...Whhoo... Ohh...!" He fell back against the panel.

"Just kidding... nice reaction time though." Dax said. 'Yeah, you should know.' I thought, biting my lip to keep from laughing.

"Not funny!" Vin yelled. By the look on his face, he was talking to me and Jak. We immediately stopped laughing and whistled innocently. "Those Metal Heads have been attacking our mining operations, we're running out of eco! Eco power keeps the shield walls up, and if the shield drops..."

I finished the sentence for him, "We can kiss our butts goodbye." He nodded.

Jak smirked, "We've got a few surprises for those Metal Heads."

Vin shook his head, "You've got to keep the shied walls up until the Shadow figures out what to do. My readings show a drop in eco flow at the Drill Platform. Probably some Metal Head eggs suckin' away power. So, use the Warp Gate to go to the platform and destroy every Metal Head egg you can find." Jak nodded and started towards the gate, only stopping when I started after him.

"Raye, you said you would get some rest after we saved Vin."

"But Jak-" He cut me off with a look, then jumped through the Warp Gate. I glared at the gate, "Geez, he treats me like I'm his baby sister or something." I muttered. "Hey Vin, would you mind if I waited here for Jak to get back?"

"Why not? I could use the company." He said, typing something on one of the many keyboards.

I walked over, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get the old security cameras to work so we can make sure that your Jak doesn't get slaughtered." He shuddered slightly. "And there we go!" The screens flickered and a picture of Jak in a turret, shooting down Metal Heads, came on the screen.

"Sweet."

DR: Chapter 11! Yeah! Puck is doing his job, so he gets his tuna, which he has eaten already.

Puck: (purring) Tuna... yummy.

DR: Oh, he is sooo cute when he does that. Even cuter when he chases Daxter around like killer kitty. In fact... heh heh heh. (types quickly)

Daxter: (appears) What am I doing here?

DR: Oh, Puck?

Puck: Rat! (chases Daxter around the room while everyone watches)

Dax: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Jak: That is one evil little kitten.

Torn: I like it. It tortures that annoying orange furball.

Jak: It is an annoying furball!

(Torn and Jak start arguing.)

DR: Wow. Okay, if you guys review nicely, you may hold Puck for a little bit. Please do not fight over my precious kitty muse. I do love him, no matter how much I say I don't. Just don't tell him that.

Puck: Don't listen to her. Listen reviewers: fight over me! Fight over me and my kitten cuteness! Muahahaha!

Everyone: (sweatdrop)

DR: Ooookay, um whatever. Listen, when you guys review, could you tell me if you think I should keep Puck? Thanks!

Bye!


	12. The Dark Side

DR: Okay, Puck rules. Together, we have come up with the biggest plot twist ever!

Puck: I'm not sure a plot twist is the right word ... I was thinking surprise ending.

DR: Okay, I guess that works too. But anyways, I thought of this while I was reading over this story, and realized that somebody, well, ok, two somebodies, said some things that were really ironic. It was way to good to pass up! Everyone will probably kill me for it, but I don't care!

Puck: What she means to say is that we were reading over the story, and we got an idea of how to make a couple things people said true. /Sighs/ I'm confusing myself. Anyways, if you think you have an idea of what it is, e-mail A Dragon's Rose, because if you put it in a review, she'll kill you for trying to give it away. If you get it right, she'll congratulate you.

DR: Exactly. Please continue with the hints.

Puck: Anyways, the hints are in the chapters. A couple times in chapters 3, 4, and 5, and then yet again in 11. Go back and read them a few times, something oughta click, I promise. Oh, and A Dragon's Rose doesn't own anything in this story but Raye.

Chap. 12

The Dark Side

As we watched Jak on screen, I felt an oncoming wave of fatigue. I pushed myself away from the screen with an effort and walked towards the door. "Tell Jak I went back to the hideout." I called over my shoulder before the doors opened. Vin gave me a thumbs-up before rushing over to another screen and typing in something. I sighed and walked out the door, shaking my head. Somehow, I doubted he would remember.

I decided not to walk to the hideout. I didn't think falling asleep in the middle of Haven was very safe. Besides, there was a parked zoomer right in front of me. Tired as I was getting, it wasn't to far away and it was faster than walking. 'Maybe running over a KG will wake me up.' I thought, laughing. I decided against it, though. Having the city on high alert probably wasn't a good idea. I started up the zoomer and took off towards the Slums.

When I walked through the hideout doors, Torn barely glanced up. "Where's Jak?"

"On a mission for Vin. He sent me back here to take a nap." I told him cooly, sitting down on a bunk.

He shrugged, "Fine by me." I rolled my eyes, a pointless task since he wasn't looking at me, and laid down. I'm pretty sure I was asleep before I even hit the pillow.

When I woke up, Torn was sitting in a chair across the room, smirking at me. "Have a nice dream?"

"What?" I asked, stretching.

His smirk just got wider, "You were smiling and muttering the name 'Jess' over and over."

I paused, "Oh, I must've been talking about Jessi. She was my best friend, until I ended up here." I gestured to the hideout.

"She's against the Underground?" He crossed his arms.

"Well, no. I mean, sort of. It's really confusing. She kinda thinks the Underground is pointless and joining it would be dangerous."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Not that I can think of. Except her humongous crush on Errol." I shrugged. "Yeah, I think that might actually be it. Mar knows why she would like that ass. Bad taste, I suppose."Torn chuckled. 'Points for me.' I thought, grinning. "That was actually what most of our arguments were about. The Underground, and Errol. Oh, and her joining the Krimzon Guard. She was always joking about joining the KG. I tell her that if she does, she has to get those lovely face tats and that would probably hurt like hell."

"Well, what an entertaining life you two must've led."

"Argumentative or crazy is more like it." I looked around the room, "Did they come back while I was asleep?" Torn shook his head, "Geez, their taking their sweet time with this, aren't they?" At that moment, the hideout door opened. "Ah, speak of the blonde devil."

Jak gave a dry laugh, "Funny, I thought the devil lived in a castle and a large supply of dark eco."

I smiled wryly, "Hello to you too, Jak. And you're probably right."

He turned to Torn, "Any missions?"

"Yes, actually." Torn motioned Jak and I over to the table. Daxter jumped up on to the table and started making faces as soon as Torn started talking, "One of my old Guard comrades was sent to the Pumping Station. There's been no word from the patrol, and after what you three ran into out there, I'm afraid she may need some help."

At the word "she" Jak got this weird look in his eyes, "Did you say 'she?'"

"Don't even think about it!" Torn growled. Then he finally noticed Daxter making his stupid faces, "STOP THAT! THIS IS SERIOUS, YOU MORON!" He yelled, shining the light on the rodent. Jak made a move to slap Daxter, but Dax went into a karate pose.

"WHAA! That's right! Don't mess with the sugar!" He yelled. Jak sighed and shook his head. Daxter grinned evilly and stuck his tongue out at Jak. Then I slapped him, making him fall face forward off the table. He climbed back on, grumbling about evil girls under his breath.

"Please continue Torn." I said, smirking at Dax.

Torn sighed and continued, "This 'friend' of mine has helped the Underground many times before. Go back to the Pumping Station and take a look around. Render assistance if needed." Daxter was now saluting Torn with a stupid grin on his face. "Now get your squirrelly ass out of here!" He growled, shoving Daxter, once again, off the table.

"Maybe you should just stay down there." I mused as he climbed back onto Jak's shoulder. He glared at me and went to a sullen pout. That is, until we got outside and he caught sight of a couple of girls, then he started staring and doing all of his normal Daxter-ish things.

Jak nudged me as we walked out of the Underground, and Torn's earshot, "Do we have enough to make a stop at the Oracle?"

I counted mentally for a moment. Jak and I had destroyed at least twenty-five Metal Heads. I had the skull gems we had collected pack that I had around my waist. I opened her pack and counted them quickly. Over fifty, two times more than they needed.

"Yeah." I nodded. Jak climbed into the two-seater sitting outside and started it up, taking off as I jumped in.

"To the Oracle!" Daxter yelled, causing Jak and I to start laughing like crazy people. Which didn't help Jak with his driving. At all.

"Jak, I think you're supposed to land on the pathways." I laughed as he climbed out of the water.

"Shaddup." He muttered, wringing out his tunic. He had jumped out of the zoomer to late as he turned it off, so instead of landing on the dock like me and Daxter, who was now on my shoulder for safety reasons, he landed in the water and got soaked. Still laughing, Daxter leaned on my head to steady himself.

"You should've seen your face when you missed the dock! It was hilarious!" Daxter laughed, doing his best imitation of Jak's face as he realized his jump was a couple inches to short. I burst out laughing as I saw Dax's imitation of Jak, who was now glaring at his orange friend. After a few minutes, I stopped laughing and helped Jak dry off a little before we went into the hut.

Inside, Dax jumped to the ground, "This place is creeeepy." Both of us shushed him as the Oracle lit up.

"Do you have the gems?" It boomed, shaking the hut. I nodded and place the twenty-five gems on the floor in front of the Oracle, which lit back up again. (a/n: Yes, they still only need twenty-five. If I made it so they both had to collect their own it would take to long, and I'm being lazy.)

"Can we puh-lease get this over with?" Daxter whined. Jak "accidentally" kicked him into the wall. He slid down with comical slowness, making me giggle quietly.

"You do well to rid the world of this metal scourge." The Oracle boomed, shooting not one, but two beams of dark eco from its mouth. I, of course, didn't realize this until one of the beams hit me square in the chest. I doubled over in pain, clutching my stomach as my feet were lifted off the ground, letting out a low moan. I was able to open my eyes enough to see my skin paling and my nails turning into elongated black claws that looked more like talons before my vision blurred from the tears filling my eyes. The Oracle continued, "As a reward, I grant you both a dark power." There were two "thunks" as Jak and I fell out of the air and looked at each other in shock. Well, at least, Jak looked at me in shock. I, on the other hand, was busy looking down at my new body and claws. Then, almost instantly, someone else took over. My head lifted and I grinned evilly at the other figure in the room, whom I could feel giving off massive amounts of dark eco. Another fanged grin was the reply. Our attention was pulled from each other by, take a guess, Daxter.

"Uh... guys? You two okay?" My dark-self narrowed her, our eyes and wondered if she could kill this annoying, orange creature. 'No. He's a friend. An annoying one, but a friend.' I told my darker half. As I fought to regain control, I heard a mental growl of protest and suddenly my feet weren't touching the ground. I, we, had jumped, and were performing a dark bomb. My fist hit the ground and I felt the dark eco drain out of me, and I reverted to normal. I felt my skin tingle as Jak's eco powered shock wave hit me, letting me re-absorb some of the energy. I watched Jak revert to his not-near-as-scary self, then stagger back a few steps from the change. It was about that time that I noticed that my knees were shaking as well. I leaned against the wall and put a hand to my forehead. 'What did I just do?'

_'We just learned a new killing technique.'_ The voice, which I guessed was my dark self, said.

'We?'

There was what sounded like a sigh, _'Yes, we. How many times must I explain that you and I are the same being?' _As I looked up, Jak motioned for her to follow him out. I did so, still shaking. There was a voice in my head. It was evil. It was me. Oh yeah, my life officially sucks.

During the drive to the Pumping Station, we were all silent. Even Daxter was being quiet! Normally I would've said something, just to break the silence, but I couldn't muster up the will to do so. Jak kept glancing back at me, and opening his mouth like he was going to say something, but he never did. He would just turn back around and keep driving. I shivered slightly. As much as I hated to admit it, the surge of power that rushed through me when I went dark was... incredible. There was no other word for it. I got that "I'm invincible!" feeling. You know that rush that makes you want to jump of the roof, or something higher? Yeah, that one. _'See? I am not completely evil.'_ Dark said, breaking into my thoughts.

'Shut up.'

_'Aw, come on. You can't say you didn't enjoy letting me take over for those few minutes.'_

'Yes I can.' I argued, 'And I will never let you out ever again!'

_'What about around Errol?'_ She asked teasingly. I didn't reply and just sort of ignored her until she gave up on bugging me. I did, however, smirk when I pictured my other self cornering Errol, making him scream like a little girl and curled up a feeble position, still screaming bloody murder. Okay, I went a bit overboard, but can you really blame me? I started laughing as I progressed to more embarrassing scenes, which made Jak turn around.

"What's so funny?"

I blinked, "Oh, nothing. I'm just picturing how Errol would look, screaming bloody murder like a little girl, pissing all over himself, and hanging upside down over a pit of dark eco with a very thin rope around his ankles."

"And I suppose your holding the rope?" He asked, amusement in his voice.

"Of course." I laughed. I peeked around Jak's torso to see where we were and gasped, "Jak, watch out!"

"Alright, I officially hate walking." Jak cursed, walking through the door that led to the Pumping Station. Jak had crashed his zoomer into a KG Hellcat, which sent the city on high alert. We had jumped into the water and hid under the docks, narrowly avoiding being caught, shot, or killed by those red-suited morons several times.

"Hey, you're the one who crashed the zoomer!" I told him, rubbing the scar on my leg from when the ammo dump blew up. I looked down at my hand to see that my fingers were stained red. Looking down at my leg confirmed that the wound had reopened. "Great, now I'm bleeding. Can this day get any worse?"

"Ummm... yes." Daxter said, pointing at the Crabs that were advancing on us.

"It was a rhetorical question." I snapped, shooting at the Metal Heads before their bullet-things hit us. Jak and I both continued as usual, shooting anything that moved towards us, and not really talking to much. When we reached a dead end, Jak said several curse words.

"Well, that was a waste." He muttered turning around.

"Don't be so hasty." I put my hand on his shoulder and pointed at a partially hidden Hellcat. If I wasn't mistaken, Jak turned a light pink and made an 'ah' noise before walking forward to examine it.

Daxter finally snapped, "GAAAH! What are we doing out here, saving some old Krimzon Guard hag!" He jumped off Jak's shoulder and started scratching his ear like a dog would do. "She's probably got more facial hair than me!" He grumbled. I ignored him and walked closer to the cruiser, examining it.

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it." I muttered, looking at the vehicle. Suddenly, the bushes next to us rustled and a familiar face jumped out and stuck Jak in a headlock, pointing her gun at me. Both of us put our hands in the air.

"Who the hell are you two?" Ashelin snapped in her usual tone. She didn't seem to see Daxter. Until he opened his big yap again.

"Then again, I do love a woman in uniform!" He said, eyeing Ashelin, who was looking at him like you would a, well, talking orange rat, "Wanna bark some orders at me? Woof, woof!" He jumped up onto the arm that she had around Jak's neck, "I'm your soldier on the front lines of looooove." He jumped back to where he had been, "Waiter... foxhole for two!" I rolled my eyes. Where did he get these lines!

Ashelin took her gun off of me and redirected it at Daxter, "Keep talking and I'll raise your voice a couple of octaves." She told him. Daxter gulped.

"Or... not. Hehe." He laughed nervously and backed away a few feet.

"Now, how about one of you answer my question?" She said, pointing her gun back at me.

"We're from the Underground. Torn sent us to help you." I told her. She released Jak and looked off in the other direction.

"I don't need any help. But you might. We've got company." She pointed at the approaching Metal Heads that were leaping off the cliff behind us. "Do you two have any weapons?" We nodded, "Good. Start shooting." She ordered, running to "greet" the creatures. I laughed and pulled out my gun, following her. I shot wildly until I ran out of Blaster bullets, then switched to Scatter Gun.

"Uh-oh." I whispered. I was pulling the trigger, but all I heard was a "click, click" noise. And I was surrounded by Metal Heads. Great.

_'Let me out!'_ Dark pleaded, _'It's the only way we're gonna survive this!'_

'Never! I told you I would never let you out again!' Another Crab jumped off the cliff and came towards me. I glanced around to see that Jak and Ashelin were both busy with their own problems and groaned. 'Alright, but only for a second, got it?'

_'Yeah, I got it.'_ Was the response. I felt the dark eco stored inside my body burst free in one huge shockwave that knocked the Metal Heads away. Then, I went after them.

DR: Hah! Cliffy! I am evil! Muahahahaha!

Everyone: (Sweatdrop)

Jak: Um, why is she laughing like that?

Puck: She's had sugar.

Jak: So?

Puck: Lots of it. And I mean lots. If she had eaten three or four _bowl fulls_ of pure sugar, she would be about this hyper. Maybe a little less. (Everyone watches as I literally bounce off the walls and into all my reviewers.) That looked like it hurt.

Jak: I think she just broke her reviewers.

DR: Owie.

Jak: And maybe a few bones.

Puck: She'll be fine. I think.

Torn: "You think?" That's helpful.


	13. A Past Revealed

DR: Okay, I haven't gotten many e-mails, so I can't really congratulate any one on guessing right. If you guess it after you read this chapter, e-mail me to tell me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Jak saga. Naughty Dog owns everything.

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Chap. 13 

A Past Revealed

Last time:

_'Let me out!' _Dark pleaded, _'It's the only way we're going tosurvive this!'_

'Never! I told you I would never let you out again!' Another Crab jumped off the cliff and came towards me. I glanced around to see that Jak and Ashelin were both busy with their own problems and groaned. 'Alright, but only for a second, got it?'

_'Yeah, I got it.' _Was the response. I felt the dark eco stored inside my body burst free in one huge shockwave that knocked the Metal Heads away. Then, I went after them.

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My claws tore through the nearest Metal Head's pathetic armor and hit its vital organs. How I knew where they were, I'll never know, but the creature died instantly. My blood lust grew higher and I turned to the next one, slashing it to ribbons. Then a third, a fourth, and after the fifth I lost count. I ripped off the last Juice Goon's skull gem and rammed it down his throat, then changed back quickly, before Ashelin had the chance to turn around and see me. Fortunately, she was occupied with the last few Crabs. Unfortunately, Jak had seen me and was giving me a look of anger, which I didn't understand at the moment, but shrank away from anyways. I went around and picked up the skull gems ignoring the glare that I was still being given.

I heard a thump as the last Metal Head finally died. "That was the last of them." She said, walking back over to her vehicle and jumping on top. I rolled my eyes in disgust as I saw Jak watching Ashelin with the look of a child in a candy store.

Daxter leaned against the cruiser and looked up at Ashelin, "Watching me take care of those Metal Heads was, ahh... pretty... exciting, wasn't it sugar?" He was blown away by a gust of air as the motor started up. "Hey, sweet stripes, gimme them digits so I can look you up sometime. We'll party hard, big city style!" He yelled, fighting against the wind blowing him away from the vehicle.

Ashelin wisely ignored him, and turned to Jak. "Tell Torn that Baron Praxis is planning something big. I think it has to do with that symbol." She pointed to the rock next to her that had the Seal of Mar on it.

"What is it?" Jak asked, his voice raising so he could be heard over the engine.

"It's the seal of the House of Mar. The founder of Haven City. We're being sent on 'suicide missions' to recover artifacts from the time of his rule." She slid into the cruiser. "If curiosity's worth dying for, you can ask the blind, old soothayer in the bazaar named Onin. She might know something about all this. Here's my bazaar access security pass." She tossed the pass to Jak, who opened it up.

"Your name's Ashelin, huh?"

"We're even now." She told him, flying off.

Daxter walked over next to Jak's leg, "Wow! What a woman! Rrrrow!" He exclaimed, making some self-explanatory gestures with his hands.

I shook my head, "Men." I muttered, starting to walk off.

A hand on my shoulder stopped me, "Wait a sec, Raye." Jak ordered, turning me around.

"What?"

"Do you know how reckless you were back there!"

"I'm reckless! Look who's talking Mr. I-can't-see-the-Hellcat-right-in-front-of-me!" I yelled, storming off towards the city. "You're the one who nearly got us all killed!"

"That's off the point!" He protested, following me.

"Of course it is! When I do something to try and save our asses, you get to yell at me about it, but if you do something to endanger our lives, I can't yell at you! Oh yeah, that's fair!" I threw my hands up in the air.

"You're the one who distracted me while I was driving!"

I turned around to face him, "I never made you turn around! You did that on your own! It's called free will, Jak!" I stomped off again before he could protest.

"Where are you going?"

"Far away from you! Quit trying to be my big brother!" I yelled over my shoulder, walking away again.

"Unless you've forgotten, I have the pass to see the old soothsayer, remember?" I paused to consider this.

"Fuck you." I yelled, running off towards the door to get back into Haven City. I was panting tiredly by the time I got halfway through the Water Slums. I looked back to see Jak walking through the crowd, obviously looking for me, and talking to Daxter. I sighed and stayed where I was. He couldn't do anything to me, not in this big of a crowd. Espescially with a bunch of KG around. He saw me and ran over.

"Are you insane!" He whispered, grabbing my arm tightly and making me wince.

"What are you going to do? Hit me?" I asked. He glared at me but didn't do anything. His grip lessened, and I jerked my arm out of his grasp, "Look, before you go all evil and dark eco powered on me, I'm sorry. It's just that... nevermind. We should go see the Oracle."

Jak grabbed my arm again, gently this time, but still hard enough to make me stop "No, not 'nevermind'. What?"

I shook my head, "I don't want to talk about it." I told him, pushing the door open. I opened my pack and set the fifty gems on the floor, then prepared myself for the pain of the eco beam. It didn't hurt as much this time, but it did hurt.

"The Metal Heads have always feared that you would be re-united, angry ones. Even now, the Metal Head leader realizes that if you work together, you can destroy him and save the last chance for our race. You must remember that your past is always within plain sight, you just may not be able to reach it." Jak and I dropped to the ground. "You now have control of another dark power!"

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I walked out of the hut, shaking my head. "That Oracle speaks in riddles. I can never get riddles!" I moaned.

"Well, I know about my past. Maybe it was talking to you?" Jak suggested. I shook my head.

"No way, I know where I grew up." I protested.

Daxter clapped his paws over our mouths, "You two can argue this out later. I say we go use that pass and visit the soothsayer." He paused, "What is a soothsayer anyway?"

I removed his paw, "A soothsayer is a person who foretells the future."

"I knew that. I was just making sure that you knew." Daxter said.

"Sure ya' were." I laughed, hopping on a parked zoomer.

Jak shook his head, "You are not driving."

"Oh really? Well guess what? Either you find yourself a zoomer, or I'm driving." I smiled sweetly at him, "Take your pick."

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I braked the zoomer when we reached the entrance to the bazaar, "Okay, we can't take this any further." I said, jumping off.

Jak hopped off behind me, "That was the most embarrassing ride of my life."

I put her hands on her hips, "Why? Because I was driving?" I walked past him and into the bazaar. "Or was it because I was driving just as fast as you do and didn't crash anything?" I laughed at his slightly pink face and kept walking. 'Let him catch up on his own.' I thought as I heard Jak running up behind me.

"You," He said, "Are getting a really bad habit of ditching me."

I laughed, "Well, I'm obviously not very good at it. Alright, where's this stupid hut?" I asked as we turned yet another corner.

Jak pointed at the oh-so-familiar tent near the far wall, "Think that might be it?" I gave him a 'you think?' look and walked towards it. As soon as we were inside, my nose was filled with the smells of incensce and all the other things that you'd expect Onin's tent to be filled with. I also noticed that there was bird seed strewn across the floor in some places. Jak walked in behind me.

"Coooool! Check out all the dead stuff!" Right on cue, Daxter poked Pecker, who was hanging by his tail from a pole. Pecker bit his finger. "Owwww!"

"Touch the goods again, rat boy, and you'll be, arrrk, counting with your toes!" Pecker yelled, flying over to rest in Onin's hat. Jak, Daxter, and I started giggling. Jak and I were the only two polite enough to do it behind our hands, though. "Yes, yes I know... my mother, she was... very vindictive. I am Onin's interpreter." Onin suddenly clapped, sending quite pretty blue sparks flying from her hands, and started making symbols with them. "Onin welcomes you... blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... the usual boring salutations. She says it is good to see you again, Jak. And you as well, Raye.

Jak crossed his arms, confused. "But we've never met before."

I nodded, "Yeah, same here."

Pecker shrugged, "Before... after... it is all the same." He started to say something else, but was cut off by Daxter's big yap.

"Oh! Oh! Let me try! Ahhh... She wants a... she wants a Yakow bone! A Yakow bladder! No... no... I got it! For many moons... she has... waited for... a juice pop? Oh... oh... I know, she's got a hairball! A hair lip? A hairy chest?" I finally stopped laughing enough to clamp my hand over Daxter's mouth.

Pecker flew over and landed on a table next to us. "Close... but NO!" He yelled, obviously annoyed about the interruption, "Onin says you seek answers... aarrrkk... about the Tomb of Mar."

"So what do we need to know?" Jak asked.

"And what do we need to get and from where?" I added.

Pecker looked at his wrinkled boss, "She's going on and on about mystical energy channels, evil curses, stupid 'ooooooo' crap." He flew back to Onin's hat, "Forget all that, I'm gonna sum this up quickly because now you're cutting into my siesta time. Onin wants you to recover three artifacts from the Precursor Mountain Temple. Not two! Not four! Three!" Onin helped emphasis this fact by holding up her fingers every time Pecker said a different number and nodding when he said "three". "Use the Warp Gate at the North West side of the city and bring the three items you find." He said closing his eyes and shooing us out. But when we were half-way out the door, he spoke back up. "Hey, Fossil Lady, I'm trying to sleep!" We all turned back around to see Onin knock Pecker out of her hat with those weird blue things. "Alright, alright." He flew back up. "Onin says that only Jak should go. She says she needs to talk to Raye." Jak gave me a confused look and I shrugged.

"Go on. I'll still be here when you get back." I told him walking back inside the tent and sitting down in front of Onin. "Alright, what did you need to talk to me about? Because I'd really rather be helping Jak with-"

Pecker cut me off, "Yes, yes, she knows. She says that this is more important. What could be more important than my siesta, I don't know, but..." Onin made some more gestures. "Alright, I'm going. Onin says-"

"That she knows that I'm not from this world." I said. Pecker gaped at me.

"You can understand her!"

I blinked, "No, I just guessed." I told him sheepishly.

"Well don't do it again." He ordered. "But anyway, Onin says that you want to know more about why you're here, correct?" I nodded, "Thought so. Lean forward." He ordered. I hesitated. "Were you not listening to me!"

"Sheesh, alright. Don't lose any feathers, bird brain." I muttered, leaning forward. Onin placed her hands on my forehead and I gasped as memories flooded into my head.

_I was standing in a decorated room with two people I recognized as Onin and Samos. Pecker was there, as usual, on Onin's hat. Samos was holding something, and talking to Onin quietly. "She should be safe in this different world." _

_Onin nodded and made a few symbols. Pecker looked over the edge of her hat and nodded, "Onin said that she agrees completely. After what happened to the boy, we can't take any risks." Pecker looked at the object Samos was holding and glanced around nervously. "Are you sure she won't wake up? Because if she wakes up and starts crying, and someone hears her-" _

_Samos shushed him, "Don't worry. I gave her a large enough dosage where she shouldn't wake up." I walked over and looked to see what Samos was holding. I gasped when I saw it. In his arms was a little girl, about three years old, sleeping peacefully. She squirmed a bit in Samos' grip as he stepped up to what looked like yet another Rift Ring. "May the Precursors watch over you." He said, placing the girl in a vehicle in front of the Rift Ring. He stepped away and it started, shooting the girl through the ring._

Onin pulled her hand away and the memory faded. I blinked and put a hand to my head, dizzy. "Well? Have you figured it out yet, or do I have to spell it out for you?" Pecker asked.

"That little girl... it was me, wasn't it?" I asked.

Pecker smacked himself in the forehead, "She's finally got it!"

I stood up, "Listen you smart-ass little monkaw, I-" Onin clapped again, making more blue sparkly stuff fly everywhere. I stopped yelling at Pecker and sat back down.

Pecker looked at me smugly, earning him a glare. "Anyway, Onin says that you're right. You started out here, and have come back to fufill your destiny, as it was stated in the prophecy."

Now I was really confused, "Destiny? Prophecy? I was perfectly happy not knowing about any of this and living a normal life! I'm eighteen for god's sake, I don't want to have to fufill some ancient prophecy!" I was yelling now.

Pecker had his ears plugged, "Are you done now?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I feel better." I looked back at Onin. "In that memory... the boy that Samos was talking about... it was the kid Jak and I met earlier wasn't it?"

Onin nodded and Pecker sighed. "Onin says that once again, you are correct. Beginner's luck is what I'd say, but I'm just interpreting." He shrugged and Jak walked back in with Daxter nursing a burnt tail on his shoulder.

"I told you not to touch anything. Hi Raye."

I stood up and dusted off. "Hey. Shall we go?" I asked, letting him walk out before me.

"So what'd Onin want to talk to you about?"

I shrugged, "Nothing important." I lied. "What happened to Daxter's tail?" I asked, changing the subject, even though I knew perfectly well what happened.

"Funny story behind that, actually." Jak said, laughing a little. "See, he wasn't listening when I told him not to touch anything, and-"

"It wasn't funny!" Daxter said, holding his tail. "My poor tail." He whined. I shook my head and laughed.

"I told you not to mess with anything!" Jak said, still laughing. I laughed again and looked at Daxter's tail. About three inches of tail from the tip up was singed black.

"Here, let me see." I said, grabbing his tail above the burn. I sighed and ripped a strip of cloth off the bottom of my shirt. I took him off of Jak's shoulder and set him on the ground. "Hold still." I wrapped my makeshift bandage around his tail and tied it tightly. Not very well, but it would do for the moment.

"YEEEOWCH!" Daxter yelped loudly. I clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up. I had to tie it tight or it would get infected. Then we might of had to amputate your tail." I hissed, into his ear. He stopped whining and hopped back onto Jak's shoulder. I stood back up. "Shall we go see if someone's got a mission for us?" I asked. Jak shrugged and nodded.

"I guess so. There's nothing better to do."

"I say we go to see Krew. He's closest." I said, walking into the Industrial Section.

"Getting lazy?" He asked.

"Been spending to much time around Daxter." I told him. There was an immediate protest of "Hey!" from the ottsel, but nothing more.

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DR: Sorry, I know this chapter sucks, but it was the only thing I could think of! Sorry, sorry, and, again, SORRY! And yes, I know that if someone did start arguing with Jak, they wouldn't survive to finish the argument, but I can't exactly kill off Raye, so...

Puck: I think they get it.

DR: Shut up you. Read and Review everyone! Once I get at least five reviews for this chapter, I'll update.


	14. The Race Mechanic

DR: Chapter 14 is up. After many chapters, I am going to thank my reviewers. I keep meaning to, then getting in such a rush to post my chapter up, I never do. Yes, yes, I know. Bad me. But anyways, on with the reviewer thanking and question answering.

Random Bystander: Yeah, I know, Dark forms rock. And yeah, the vision was pretty cool.

Anime Dutchess: I have a purpose! Heh heh... sorry, couldn't help it. And I'm glad my story interests you. You and everyone else will probably kill me with flames for the ending, but...

Komdogirl, Silvereyes, and Ashley: Thanks! And I'm trying to get the chapters typed up faster, so don't worry.

And now all of you get to play with Puck until this chapter's over. Lucky you.

Disclaimer: I own Raye and Jessi. That's it.

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Chapter 14

The Race Mechanic

I sighed as we walked into the Industrial Section. This place was already like home to me. Heck, I knew my way around this city better than I did my own town back in the my world. Suddenly, out of everything else to notice, randomly placed poster of Errol that was coming off the wall caught my attention, and I stopped to look at it. Jak noticed my sudden brake and backed up to see what I was looking at so intently. He scowled when he saw it. "Why, in the name of the Precursors, are you looking at that?"

"No reason." I said, not taking my eyes off the poster. He started to walk off. "Wait a sec." I walked over and glared at the poster. 'If I can't do it to you for real, at least I can do it to your picture.' I thought, tearing the poster in half. The noise of paper ripping and the sight of Errol's smirking face being split in two made me tremendously happy. "Okay, we can go now." I said, walking back over. Jak shook his head, grinning, and turned in the direction of the Hip Hog.

"What do you think a Guard would have done if he saw you doing that?" He asked, still grinning. I shrugged.

"I dunno. I'd say that it was an accident, that I tripped or something."

"Or send the city on high alert." Daxter muttered. "Which, by the way, reminds me that you two never thanked me for breaking you both out of prison! And for another thing-" We both ignored him and let him rant on and on as we went to the Saloon. After fifteen minutes of him "lecturing" us, I could literally feel the dark eco levels in my body rising. And by the look on Jak's face, the same was happening to him. It seemed to be a contest to see who would snap and threaten the rodent first. I lost that battle.

"Daxter, shut up or I'll steal a KG zoomer, go back to the Hideout, and bring the damn ductape all the way back her to put it out over your mouth!" I hissed. "Yes, we know that you broke us out of jail, and we thank you for it. Now SHUT UP!" I said as loud as I dared. He gave me a very scared look and nodded quickly. I felt the eco lower and my blood pressure return to normal. I put a hand to my forehead. "Sorry." I muttered. Jak gave me an odd look.

"Raye, are you...?" He reached for my shoulder. I hit it away before he touched me. I didn't need to feel the dark eco in his body as well as mine.

"I'm fine." I told him. He didn't look like he believed me. "Really. I'm fine. I've got it under control." I said, not really lying, but not telling Jak the complete truth. He gave me a doubting look before seeming to accept my answer and continuing to walk.

We finally reached the Hip Hog without any whining from Daxter. When we walked in we saw Krew floating up around the ceiling, looking at a bunch of trophies. "I have a proposition for you Jak. Racing is the biggest sport in the city! Errol is the undisputed grand champion." At that name Jak and I both growled. Krew floated down and circled behind us. "He's crazy and dangerous on the track. Ha ha. My kind of guy."

I scoffed. "Well you got that first part right." I muttered. Apparently Krew heard me, because he glared at me for a short second before zooming up in front of Jak.

"Only a fool would dare race against him, 'ey!" He turned around and flew back up over the bar. Jak waved a hand in front of his face, making me laugh quietly. He stopped as soon as Krew turned back around. "And that's where you three come in." He reached behind the bar and pulled out some paper and yet another security pass. "A client of mine is looking for a fast driver for her racing team. Here's a security pass to get you into the Stadium section." He tossed Jak the pass. "Uh, and your contract, with just a few trifles for me. I've ah already signed your name to save time." He tossed the contract to the side, and Daxter caught it and started reading it aloud.

"We the racers hereby agree to give Krew proceeds from race earnings, endorsement fees, broadcast royalties, syndication residuals, vehicle sponsorships, mall appearance fees, collectable card assets, fast-food tie-ins, use of likeness rights, talk show deals, clothing lines, all print rights, including book, novella, comic, pamphlet, tickertape, neon signs, and bathroom graffiti designs," Here he took a breath, even he was getting winded. And Jak and I were falling asleep. "toy rights, shoe lines, mood rings, game rights," He paused. "GAME RIGHTS! Vitamin endorsements, city kickbacks, movie deals, and of course all death and dismemberment accident insurance claims." That last part woke us up and we glared at Krew.

"Hee hee hee... we can work out the tiny details later." He turned to Jak. "If you can get from here to the Race Garage near the Stadium in less than three minutes, my client said she'd consider letting you drive for her team. Make me proud, mmmm!" He shooed us out.

-Jak's POV-

As soon as we left the Hip Hog, Raye gave a frustrated sigh. "I can't stand him!"

I laughed. "Calm down, Raye. Besides, how hard can it be to get to some stupid Stadium?" She gave me a look.

"You have no idea." She sighed. "Anyways, we better get going. That zoomer's the one you need to use." She said, walking over to the zoomer. "It's got a timer built into the dashboard. Once you start it up, the three minute countdown will begin."

I laughed, "How do you know?"

She shrugged, "It wasn't that hard to figure out." She looked around. "You go ahead. I'll follow you after I get a zoomer."

"You sure you'll be able to keep up?"

"With the way you drive? Of course. I'll probably end up beating you there."

I jumped onto the zoomer. "I doubt that. See ya'!" I called, taking off.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I parked the zoomer at the stadium and looked at the timer. Thirty seconds to spare. I grinned and looked around for Raye. Where was she? It couldn't be that hard to get something to follow me in. Then, of course, she shot up next to me in a nearly wrecked zoomer. "What took you so long?"

"Some KG trouble." She responded tiredly. "Took me a couple minutes to get rid of 'em. I'm fine now. My zoomer isn't in the best of shape, though." She hopped off. "Alright, let's go!"

-Raye's POV-

"Ah... hello? Krew said someone was looking for a race driver?" Jak called as we walked into the Garage.

"I'm busy right now." A female voice from behind the curtain in front of us said. "You must be Krew's new errand boys. Look, I don't mean to be rude, you did get here fast, but I'm not interested in any new drivers right now, and I've got work to do." She leaned on the vehicle, showing off certain curves.

Jak leaned on the table next to us. "Is there anything we can do?" He asked in a tone that showed he was quite obviously trying to flirt. Daxter and I gave each other a disgusted look behind Jak's back.

"No! I'm... ah... working on a secret ah, ah... 'vehicle project.'" She said, futilely attempting to hide the large shadow behind her.

"Okay. Sorry..." Jak said, his tone changing from a flirting one to an annoyed one.

The shadow turned to face us. "Look, if you think you've got the guts to race in this town, try taking my prototype JET-Board out on the Stadium Course." Jak and Daxter looked at each other and mouthed "JET-Board" to each other, grinning. "Beat the Stadium Challenge, and maybe I'll consider you for my team." She said, sitting on a bar. Jak's jaw had dropped and Daxter was waving his hand in front of his face.

I shook my head and tapped him on the shoulder. "Listen, I'll go find a seat in the stands while you go have fun, alright?" He nodded, still agape. I sighed and walked off. Let him snap out of it himself. (a/n: I'm skipping the Stadium challenge. I have no idea how to write this.)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jak and I walked back into the Garage, Jak grinning triumphantly. "We beat the Stadium Challenge."

"Great. People do get lucky." The mechanic said. "Listen, don't you have someone to collect money from, or beat up, or something?"

"You don't like us do you?" Jak asked.

I 'tch'-ed. "Ya think?" I muttered.

"You work for that slime ball Krew. What's not to like?"

I stepped forward. "Just 'cause we work for him doesn't mean we're like him."

"Looks like you've won a few races." Jak commented, changing the subject quickly. "Isn't it true that the city champion gets to tour the palace?"

She looked up from what she was working on, "Yeah... why?"

"Could you get us into the Palace?"

She scoffed. "A friendly visit I gather."

Jak smirked. "Yeah, we're real fans of the Baron." He grinned over his shoulder at me. I laughed.

"Yeah, big fans."

There was a frankly frustrated sigh. "Okay, I'll help you out, if you stop bothering me. I saw an old maintenance elevator in one of the Palace support towers. That old lift might take you up to the Palace, IF you can find a way to turn on the elevator's power."

"Thanks." I said, pulling Jak outside. "Vin."

"What?"

"Vin. We need to go see him. If anyone will know how to get that elevator working, it's him." I explained. Of course at that moment, the talk-box flew out of Jak's pack.

"Jak, I have another mission for you and Raye." Krew said. "Get to the Hip Hog." I glared at the box as it disappeared.

"He has really bad timing." I sighed. "C'mon we'd better go."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"He'd better have a good reason for this." I muttered as Daxter hopped onto the bar. It didn't take me long to notice that he was eyeing Krew's new barkeeper, i.e. Tess.

"Hey sugarplum. You new here? Well whatcha got that's uh, hot and... Wait." His tone changed. "I've seen you before. You're with the Underground." Tess got a nervous look and glanced around to make sure Krew didn't hear Daxter.

She put two fingers over Daxter's lips. "Ssshh! I'm Tess. Torn sent me here to spy on Krew. Play along, and I may be able to get my hands on a few of Krew's secrets." I rolled my eyes and groaned silently as Daxter's face lit up and his eyes moved away from Tess' face and down to her chest. I fought the urge to hit him off the bar.

"Oooohh... I love 'undercover' work baby! But ah, two can work better than one. Lemme help you out." He jumped down behind the bar and started throwing bottles everywhere. "Wow! There sure are a lot of bottles back here!"

I shook my head. "Well, it is a bar, Dax."

"Gee, thanks Raye." He said sarcastically and continued digging around behind the bar. Suddenly bottles stopped flying and there was a "glug" noise. "Ooh, that's, Oh that, that goes down ahh... Ooh boy..." Jak and I were laughing silently as Daxter uncorked more drinks and made the contents disappear. "Gee, ya 'spose that's real gold floatin' in there? How about this purple stuff?" More gluging noises. "WHEW!..." Daxter continued muttering incoherently to himself as Krew floated up.

"Jak, I need you and Raye to go around and make a few collections for me." He was cut off by a very drunk Daxter popping up from behind the bar.

"Hey five chins... how's crimes?" He asked, hiccuping. I put my head down on the bar, my sides shaking from laughter.

"What's his problem, 'ey!" Krew asked Jak. Neither of us had a chance to answer, for Daxter pulled himself onto the bar and opened his drunken mouth yet again.

"Nothin'... I'm just fine... mind your own business..." He fell onto his back. "I sometimes feel so very..."

Krew pulled our attention away from the singing rat. "Listen, I have six clients around town who are about to make money drops for me. I need you to collect each money bag as fast as you can and 'take care' of any guards who get curious, mmmmm. Get a moneybag to late and some townie may pick it up." He was interrupted again by Daxter, who had miraculously sat himself up.

"Feeling so DRRYYY!... Ya know what's da trouble with you Krew? You got no vision... This place could be a real swingn' joint... Hop Heg Hiven with more dancin', more mac'n, more WOMEN!" He gestured to me and Tess. I glared at him as Krew started talking to us again.

"Just collect all the bags before they disappear and bring them to back here. If you lose even one bag, then don't come back, 'ey!" While he was saying this, Dax was trying to kiss Jak through his hand. Finally, he made a smacking noise and draped himself over Jak's shoulder, saying "I love you man!"

This was the last straw for me. I burst out laughing. "Jak you go collect Krew's moneybags, I'll sober up Daxter." He nodded and walked out. I turned to Tess. "Tess, could you get me some ice water?"

- - - - - - - - -Normal POV - - - - - - - - - -

When Jak returned, the first thing he saw was a soaked, shivering Daxter. He set the moneybags down on the counter. "Raye, what'd you do?"

She shrugged. "Dumped some ice water on him." Daxter sneezed to emphasize this point. "I said sorry, but we didn't need him trying to make-out with something else. Or someone." She glared at him. Daxter grinned sheepishly.

"It was an accident!" He cried defensively. "It was the alcohol, I swear!"

"Yeah, sure. Blame it on the beer." She rolled her eyes.

"Quite the money collector, 'ey?" Krew laughed, floating down behind Jak. "Here's two Gun Upgrades. Now get out! I need my beauty nap." Jak and Raye covered their mouths, trying not to laugh.

Daxter jumped back on to Jak's shoulder. "Trust me brother. There aren't enough hours in the day." Krew growled at him and Daxter hid behind Jak's head.

"We'll be going now." Jak said, scooting by Krew and out the door with Raye behind him. Once outside, Raye tossed Jak his upgrade.

"These should help with our Scatter Guns." She said, putting it on her gun, then putting the gun up. She sighed. "Alright, now we can go see Vin about that elevator."

Jak nodded. "Yeah. The faster the better. I want to pay the Baron a little visit." He punched his palm.

"Save the hostility for the Baron." She laughed. "C'mon, let's go."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

DR: Hee hee. Next chapter's gonna be extra long, 'cause I'm gonna put the "shoot the turbo cannons" mission and the showdown with Baron Ass- I mean _Praxis-_

Puck: Liar. No you don't.

DR/Hissing/ Shut up/Normal voice/ Anyways, I'm putting those two missions together, not to mention that incredibly long and extremely difficult to get down on paper speech by Vin, and the wonderful trip to get into the Palace across that really, really high pathway. So it should be pretty long. Read and Review people!


	15. Showdown with Praxis!

DR: Wow. Fifteen chapters.

Puck: I'm surprised. Really, I am.

DR: Shut up you. On with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Raye. Naughty Dog owns everything else.

- - - - - - - - - - -

-Chapter 15-

-Showdown with Praxis!-

Jak and Raye walked into the Power Station to see Vin typing away on one of the many computers in the room. "Vin, buddy. We need a favor." Jak said, walking a few steps ahead of Raye.

"I can't help you with your eco bill." He replied over his shoulder.

"It's not anything like that." Raye told him. "We need you to turn on the maintenance elevator in one of the Palace support towers."

Vin turned around. "Sheessh, that's part of the old B-zone power grid! It hasn't worked in years!"

Jak shrugged and started to walk out. "Well, if you can't do it, we understand." He winked at Raye and Daxter. "Power stuff can be tricky."

Vin huffed insultedly. "Tricky? Hmmmmph!" (a/n: And here we go.) He started walking around the room, punching various buttons and typing on all the computers. "I could route the B-Zone conduit lines through the bypass grid, shunting past the eco rings to connect the inductor tubes in series, then back through the outer wall insulator helix and across the resonant flux routers into the number five compaciter array." He flew over the two elve's heads in his odd little lift thingy. "Assuming the circuits in the GX75B can handle the surge, I could link the phase loop lines into the primary coils and presto, you've got instant lift juice!" He landed in front of them, looking quite pleased with himself.

Jak grinned. "Vin, you're a genius!"

"Ah, actually, Mar was the genius. People say he made most of this long ago-the shield wall system, the eco grid."

"Wow. Mar must've had a lot of free time." Raye commented off-handedly.

"Anyway, to get the elevator moving, you need to find and turn on all the old B-Zone power boxes located in the city. There are five of 'em!" Vin told them.

"Well that doesn't sound to hard." Daxter said.

"No. Except the power boxes are guarded by motion sensing turbo cannons!" Vin yelled. Using his fingers to demonstrate guns. Daxter gulped and shook his head while Jak and Raye grinned evilly. "If you can get to all five of them, destroy the cannons, and turn them on, then I can do the rest. These will show you where the boxes are." He said, handing them both a device that looked a lot like a hand-held. "Just don't tell the Baron I ever saw you!" He called at their retreating backs. Raye gave him a thumbs-up sign over her shoulder as the door opened.

Once they were outside, Raye hit the "on" button for her map. It showed five blinking green dots scattered throughout the city and one blue arrow indicating where she was standing. "We're gonna have to split up." She sighed and looked around. "The first one's just around the corner. The last one's in the Slums! He wasn't lying when he said 'in the city.'" Jak nodded.

"Looks like it." He muttered. "See you in a couple minutes?"

Raye laughed. "Yeah." She jumped off the ramp and grabbed the parked zoomer underneath as Jak copied her, only stealing one from a passing citizen instead. They took off in opposite directions.

When Raye came up to the area of the first cannon, it popped up immediately and started shooting at her. She braked the zoomer and jumped off it... and onto the cannon. She pulled out her Scatter Gun and pointed down, pulling the trigger. The cannon exploded under her, and she fell onto the button. She stood up and shook her head before leaping back onto the zoomer and starting for the next dot on her map. As she was driving and dodging Krimzon Guard bullets, she noticed that another dot had faded off the map. She grinned. Jak was doing his job well.

On the other side of town, Jak was shooting more KGs than he actually should have. Not like he had a choice, though. They were between him, and the stupid cannon he was supposed to shoot. Finally, he shot down most of them and ran towards the cannon, switching to his Scatter Gun. He pulled the trigger before it had time to react, then pressed the button down. It turned bright red to show that it was on. His talk box flew up as he grabbed another zoomer. "Great job!" Vin called. "The only one left is in the Slums, and... Hey! It's on!" There was some rapid typing. "Okay, the elevator's working now." The box flew back into the pouch around Jak's waist. Jak flew into the Slums, towards the elevator.

After driving for about a minute, he realized that he hadn't seen any Guards for a while, and that none were after him anymore. He saw why as he turned a corner, and saw a wrecked zoomer, with several Guards searching through it. "She must've gotten away." One muttered.

"Or burned up in the crash." Another laughed. They all walked off, laughing and talking as they went back to their patrols. Jak parked his zoomer and went over to the remains of the still burning zoomer.

"You... you don't think that they were talking about Raye, do you Jak?" Daxter asked nervously. Jak stared at the pile nervously. "I mean, they couldn't of been talking about Raye, right? Right?"

"Quit worrying, boys. I'm alright." A voice from above them said.

"Raye?" Said elf dropped down unceremoniously from the roof of the hut in front of them. "How did you get up there?"

"I jumped off the zoomer right before it crashed. The blast sent me up high enough to get up there." She grinned. "I think I win in the 'craziest stunt pulled to get away from the KGs' contest."

Jak chuckled. "You win the craziest something award alright. C'mon, we've got a elevator to catch." He said walking over to the door and waiting for the locks to click open. As soon as the door opened, both elves bounded in.

"Going up." Raye smirked as the elevator rose slowly. It soon stopped and the doors opened back up. "Whoa."

"Top floor. Weapons, artillery, and a death defying drop." Daxter gulped. Raye and Jak stepped out of the elevator cautiously.

"Raye?"

"Yes Jak?"

"Whatever you do, don't look down." Raye peeked over the edge anyways, then scooted back to a higher step. Jak gave a sigh. "Raye, this is our only chance to get even with the Baron. I promise I won't let you fall." She nodded and came back down.

"Let's go." They quickly passed over the turning, spiked thing and scooted down the edge onto the yellow-and-blacked striped platforms on the side of the pipe. They did encounter some problems with the bar, though.

"Raye, I told you. I won't let you fall." Jak said. Raye looked down and shook her head "no" firmly. Jak sighed. "Raye, do not make me come back over there and drag you back with me." Raye fell to her knees and gripped the edges of the platform firmly.

"Jak, I told you before. I have a fear of falling down from a great height. I'm scared of really high heights! And this qualifies as really, really high!"

"Raye, you can't do anything else. You can't climb back up, and unless you want to jump to the ground, you have to get over here. I told you, I won't let you fall." Raye stood up shakily and walked to the edge of the platform. She took a deep breath and jumped towards the pole, her fingers barely closing around it in time. She swung back and forth until she got enough momentum to jump over to the platform that Jak was on. One of her feet slid back and Jak grabbed her hand before she fell backwards.

"Thanks." She breathed. He just nodded and climbed up the platforms to get back on top of the path. After more spiked platforms, collapsible platforms, and two machine guns, they made it to the roof of the Palace. They walked over to the skylight to see Praxis talking to a hologram of the Metal Head Leader. Jak made a quiet motion and peered through the glass. Raye settled herself towards the bottom, where she could duck down quickly, but still see and hear everything.

"I told you, I will have more eco by week's end. We'll transport it directly to your nest as promised." Praxis told the hologram.

The hologram smirked at Praxis. "A deal is of no value if you can't deliver my dear Baron." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "I grow impatient with your puny gestures. Give me the agreed upon eco soon, or the deal is off, and your precious city will pay the price!" The head disappeared as the machine shut up.

Errol turned to Praxis. "He's toying with us! Let me lead an assault on the Nest before it's too late! I can take him, I-"

Praxis cut him off, "Patience, commander. No one has ever penetrated the Metal Head Nest. You know that. I've seen what comes of such foolish plans." He touched the part of his face covered by metal. "No. Strength is their weakness... We play helpless, train them to eat from our hands, and then..." He turned to Errol. "Move forward with the plan! And tell Ashelin to up her patrols! I want that tomb found!"

"But your daughter has not been... agreeable." Errol informed Praxis.

The Baron really didn't look pleased with that statement. "Agggg... I'll see to that problem. One way, or another."

Jak looked peeved. "Ashelin is the Baron's daughter?" He hissed, then turned to Raye. "Did you know?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "Swear to God I didn't." She hated lying to him, she did, but she didn't want to be killed because she didn't tell him.

Praxis' voice caught their attention again. "And find that child! If you spent half as much time looking for the little brat as you did flirting with that mechanic girl, we would've pinned his royal ass to the wall long ago!"

Daxter started sniffing as Errol started talking again. "As you wish." Daxter was now rearing back like he was going to sneeze. Jak noticed and tried to stop him. He stopped and waved Jak off. "I'm sure with enough persuasion, our spy will-" Daxter sneezed, cutting Errol off. Jak clamped his hand over his mouth and rolled to the side where he couldn't be seen, while Raye ducked down at the bottom. Errol pointed his pistol at the skylight. "What was that!" When he saw nothing, he put it away, then walked out after saluting Praxis.

Both elves crept away from the window silently. "Well that was interesting." Jak said.

Raye nodded. "I'm soaked through now, but at least we know that the Baron is bribing the Metal Heads with eco. I wish we'd been able to find out more, though." She glared at Daxter, who shrugged sheepishly.

"Hey, we found out enough to tell Torn. Maybe we'll finally get to see the Shadow." Jak interrupted, sliding down the slanted tile. "Let's get out of here, I'd rather not stay here any longer than we have to. We can deal with the Baron later."

Raye forced a grin. Jak didn't know what was coming up as soon as he stepped a little further forward. "Ah, yeah. Let's go." She slid down after him, soaking herself even more when she landed in a puddle. "Not a word out of either of you." She growled getting up and wringing out her clothes a little bit, a pointless task since it was still raining. Jak chuckled quietly and walked forward, and the sound of an engine caught their attention. "What was that?"

Praxis' robot flew up. "So, we have a rat in our walls do we? A rat and his owners it seems. Back for a few more Dark Eco Treatments? Well allow me to put you both out of your misery!" He said, guns going off and bullets raining towards them. They jumped in either direction. Jak pulled out his blaster and aimed at Praxis, firing uselessly. Praxis laughed. "You can't get through my shield. You're doomed!"

Raye looked around and spotted a small junction box on the wall. Her eyes lit up and she aimed at it with her blaster. Praxis saw her and turned away from Jak and zoomed towards her. She jumped out of the way. "Jak, hit the box!"

He nodded and shot the box, causing Praxis' shield to fade away. She raised her gun and pulled the trigger, sending Praxis spinning into the next area. "Raye, come on! And be careful on the platforms, they're slippery!" Jak called, jumping to the next area. She nodded and followed after him.

As soon as they landed, Raye looked for the next junction box. She spotted it, but Praxis was blocking it. She growled. "Jak, keep him busy." She muttered when the thunder boomed. Jak nodded and ran towards the edge.

"Hey, Praxis! Look over here, you idiot!" Jak yelled. While Praxis was looking at Jak, Raye ran towards the box. Then, of course, Praxis turned around as Raye pulled the trigger. Jak hit the robot with another round from his Blaster.

"NO!" He yelled as his robot went spinning into the final area. Jak and Raye chased after him once again.

"This oughta finish him!" Raye yelled, brushing wet hair out of her eyes. Jak nodded. They looked around.

"Where is he?" Jak muttered. Raye turned around and gasped.

"Jak? Look behind you." Jak turned around and barely moved in time to avoid Praxis' tornados of death.

"You can't avoid them forever, Jak! Why don't you and Raye just give it up?" The Baron laughed.

"Never!" Raye yelled, rolling out of a tornado's path. "Jak, I can't find the junction box!"

"Keep looking!" Was the blonde's response. Raye nodded and climbed up the path to the door. She saw a well camouflaged box on the wall in front of her. She grinned and pulled out her Blaster, which was yanked from her hands by a robotic claw.

"Not this time! Prepare to die!" Praxis yelled, throwing her gun to the side. Raye turned back to the box and ran towards it. 'Gotta get to that bo-' Her thoughts were cut off by a metal clamp going around her ankle and twisting. She let out a pained yelp. "You can't beat me."

Raye laughed. "You seem to have forgotten that I'm not the only one up here! Jak, now!" Jak leapt from his hiding place and pulled the trigger. Everything seemed to slow down. Praxis threw Raye across the arena into a wall and lunged for Jak. Jak was slammed against antoher wall by the claw. "Jak!"

Praxis laughed. "Wait your turn, Raye. You get to watch as I squeeze the life out of your comrade, then I'll put you out of your misery." He didn't seem to notice as the force field surrounding his robot fell down completely.

A low growl rose in her throat. "No... you... won't!" Two bursts of eco shot from her outstretched hand, one breaking through the arm holding Jak, the other hitting the robot with a loud "bang."

"NO!" Praxis yelled as the body of his robot exploded. There was what might of been the beginning of a cheer, but it was cut off as Jak, Raye, and Daxter saw the pod Praxis was in was basically unharmed by the explosion. It turned to face them. "The dark powers I gave you can't protect you forever! Since I made you, I can destroy you as well! We'll meet again soon!" He flew down somewhere.

The threesome walked over to the edge and looked down, Daxter waving. "Yeah, whatever! Buh-bye!"

Raye looked down at her hand, which was still smoking from the eco blasts. "Well, I don't know about forever, but these powers sure work now." She reached down and rubbed her ankle.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I've had worst." She turned and walked towards the exit. "Torn isn't going to be happy with us when we get back." She murmured.

"What did you say Raye?" Jak asked.

"Nothing!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jak and Raye walked into the Underground hideout to see Torn talking to Kor. He looked up as soon as the door opened. "The city's on high alert. What the hell did you three do!"

Daxter jumped on to the table, looking fakely innocent. "Who? Us?... Nothing. We've been... ah... sightseeing, right Jak? Raye?"

Torn scoffed. "Oh really? Then why are the Krimzon Guard looking for 'A dangerous young man with light hair, blue tunic, and a rabid orange RAT'" The kid pointed at Daxter when Torn said this. "'On his shoulder, Accompanied by an equally dangerous young woman with black hair, red tank top, and a scarred hand?'"

Daxter shoved the kid's hand away. "Ahh... Could be anyone. Orange is the new black this season!" He struck an incredibly stupid pose.

Jak interrupted, "Look, we climbed up to the Palace and... we tripped a few alarms."

"Oh right... that too." Daxter said.

Torn slammed his hand on the table. "What! I didn't authorize a strike on the...!"

Raye cut him off. "Hey, we kicked the Baron's ass, Tattooed wonder! Unfortunately, he got away." She admitted.

Daxter butted in before Torn could reply. "AND we overheard a secret meeting with the Metal Head Leader!"

Kor looked surprised. "You saw the Metal Head leader?" Raye glared at him as the kid hid behind Kor's robe. 'You should know we didn't, you bastard.' She thought bitterly.

Jak shook his head. "No, he was on some communicator, but we heard him talking with Praxis."

"We were right, though. The Baron is bribing the Metal Heads with eco." Raye commented.

Kor "hmmph"-ed. "It will never be enough."

Daxter laughed. "But the Baron's plannin' on double crossing 'em!"

Kor looked interested now. "Is that so? Well our 'good' Baron's 'wonderful charms' must have angered someone, because there's word from the Wasteland that Metal Head armies are on the move again!"

Jak turned to Torn. "Why didn't you tell us that Ashelin was Praxis' daughter? What's your connection to her?" He pressed.

Torn turned a light shade of pink that was hardly noticeable. "That's none of your concern! Since you've stirred up the wumpbee's nest, you two and whiskers here get to move four of our people to new safe houses. Shuttle each agent to a location they specify. Move all of them without any casualties. Don't screw this up, Jak!"

"I won't." He replied coldly. "Come on, Raye."

- - - - - - - - - - -(I'm skipping this mission. We all know what happens, so I'm skipping it.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Raye growled as she walked back into the hideout. "I didn't know that it was possible to blow three different vehicles up on one mission."

"It isn't my fault that the Krimzon Guard members are suicidal!" Jak yelled. "No offense Torn."

Torn rolled his eyes and motioned them over. Daxter was to busy twirling around on the bed posts to care. "Scouts report movement in Dead Town. Creatures moving to the Sacred Site, just as before."

Daxter hopped off the beds and peered up onto the table. "What happened... ah, before?"

Torn didn't look happy with that question. "Metal Heads broke through the old city wall. We fought them, but then the Baron pulled back, leaving everyone outside the 'new barrier' to die. Only the Shadow stayed and somehow stopped the attack.

Jak figured out what he wanted them to do. "And now you expect us to go out there again?"

"You catch on fast! If you prevent the Metal Heads from reaching the Sacred Site, the Shadow will be... most grateful. He might even ask to see you." The elves turned to walk out. "Hey..." They stopped. "I'm probably wasting these, but here's a couple of Vulcan Barrels for those pea shooters of yours." He slid the Gun Mods over the table. "Believe me, you're gonna need it." Jak stuck it on, flipping his gun around to switch it into the heavier Vulcan Fury.

Raye and Torn both rolled their eyes. "Come on, showoff. You can play with the new gun later."

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At the beginning of Dead Town, Raye looked around, shocked. The place had gone to the dogs. The old Palace collapsing had trashed the place. 'Oops. Our bad.' She thought, pulling out her Blaster and shooting the nearby Stingers. They walked up to the thin pathway that hadn't been demolished in the crash. The Grunt welcoming party was disposed of quickly, and they took care of the next one on the stones as well. Of course, as soon as Jak saw the next Metal Head, the first Sling Blaster, he targeted it. Raye shoved his gun down. "What are you doing!" He hissed.

She sighed. "That," She gestured to the creature Jak was about to shoot, "Is a Sling Blaster. That thing can hurl projectiles even to way over here. And trust me, they will hurt. You need something a bit... faster to take it down."

"Fine then Mrs. Know-It-All. You show us how it's done." Daxter gestured to the Sling Blaster.

Raye shrugged. "Alright then, I will. Watch and learn, boys." She pulled out her Vulcan Fury and took aim. "Eat lead." She muttered, pushing her finger down on the trigger and not letting go. After a few shots, she released it, and the Metal Head fell to the ground, dead. "And that is how to use a Vulcan Fury."

"Whatever." Daxter muttered as Jak jumped from island to island. Raye laughed and followed him before she got left behind.

When they got to the next row of floating, wooden platforms, they saw another pair of Sling Blasters. "Shall we?" Raye asked. Jak smirked and switched out to his Vulcan. "Ready, aim, fire!" Two sets of high-speed bullets hit the Metal Heads in the chest, raising them in the air. After a few seconds, the bullets stopped and the Metal Heads fell and died. Jak and Raye leaped across and disposed of the Stingers rising from the ground before taking care of the Grunts in their way on the path.

"This is becoming tedious."

"I am sick and tired of Grunts." Raye muttered, rubbing the three claw marks on her shoulder. "And their claws." She walked up the platform, shot the Grunt Gunner, and kept going. Jak and Daxter looked at each other and silently decided not to interrupt Raye. There was a thump from up ahead, and the sound of a Blaster going off. "Oi! Are you to coming or not!" Jak climbed up the platform to see that all the Metal Heads that had been there were now piles of dark eco.

"Woah. Remind me not to get you mad, Raye." Daxter said. Raye growled and leaned against the nearest wall.

"Ah, shuddup. I'm beat. Can we please get this finished and go back without the Ottsel commentary?" She asked, walking out the exit, then cursing loudly. "GAAH! Damned Stingers! Die!" There was a Scatter Gun shot and then Raye walked back. "Let's get going."

"You know, a good therapist could help with those anger issues." Daxter commented. Raye glared at him. He shut up and hid behind Jak's head. As the elves turned the corner, Jak and Daxter's jaws dropped. Daxter shook his head. "Is that... Is that... No it couldn't be... that's not..." He stuttered.

"It's Samos' hut." Jak said, obviously shocked.

Daxter was still searching for words. "But... What! How! When! Where! Why!"

Jak shook his head. "We're in the future, Dax. This... horrible place... is... our world!"

Raye stepped forward. "Wait a sec. This," She gestured to the crumbling ruins. "Used to be your home? That's impossible! This place must be, what, over five hundred years old? You don't look much older than eighteen!"

Jak shook his head again. "I don't know how to explain it. I'm confused myself."

Raye put her hands on her hips. "Then I say we get back to the hideout, meet this Shadow guy, and ask him!" She walked over so she was behind Jak, put her hands on his shoulders, and pushed him in the direction of the exit.

"Aye, aye, mon capiton!" Daxter saluted her from Jak's shoulder. Raye laughed as Daxter started marching in place.

"C'mon, Rat Commando. Let's go."

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DR: I've finally finished this stupid chapter. If I don't get at least five reviews on this, I will get seriously pissed off.

Puck: (Sarcastically) I'm sure that they are all very scared.

DR: Well if they aren't, you should be.

Puck: Why?

DR: Because if I don't get at least five reviews, you don't get any more tuna because you are obviously not doing your job.

Puck: GAAAH! Review people!


	16. Meeting the Shadow

SpontaneousCombustion: Alright, I've changed my pen name. And finally finished Act ,1 It took me 15 chapters, but whatever. On with the show!

Puck: Story.

SC: Fine. On with the _story_. Happy now, Mr. Picky?

Puck: Yes. Thank you.

Diclaimer: I own Raye. That's it.

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Chap. 16

Meeting the Shadow

As Jak and Raye walked down the stairs into the hideout, the second door opened, revealing Torn standing there with his arms crossed. "The Shadow's deceded it's time to meet you."

Jak crossed his arms. "Why is that place in the old ruins so important to you?"

"There's a powerful energy force at the old house. The Metal Heads are attracted to it."

"No kidding? Daxter and I used to know the guy that lived there." As Jak was saying this, Dax was peering around Torn to see the Shadow.

The figure turned around. "So you're the new recruits who keep getting into trouble." Torn stepped aside.

Daxter moaned. "Oh no, not you!"

The Shadow ignored him. "Welcome to our humble Underground movement. I am known as the Shadow, but you may call me Samos. And you are?"

Daxter was still moaning. "Sheesh, Jak, we went through all that just to meet his holiness, ol' log on the head, grandpa green!" Torn was glaring at Daxter.

Jak looked sincerely confused. "Don't you know who we are?" He asked.

Samos shook his head. "Sorry kid... never seen you before. And I never forget a face... especially one that ugly." He pointed at Daxter, who just looked annoyed now.

"So it begins..." He sighed.

Jak covered his eyes in frustration. "How is this possible? We came through the rift with you... into the future, right?"

"Yeah! You used to look older than dirt and uglier than a knotted stump!" Raye glanced at Torn to see he looked like he wanted to strangle Dax. "What gives? Did you get a little nip and tuck while we were gone?" He pulled on his face. Raye had leaned up against the wall behind her, smirking silently. Normally, she would've protested being left out like this, but this was just too entertaining!

Samos cut Daxter off, "Listen boys, I don't know what kind of twigs you've been chewing on, but I don't have time for this! We've got a Baron to overthrow, a child heir to protect, an invasion of Metal Heads to stop, and a city to save! I'd say the schedules pretty full! Besides, I haven't gone through any rifts, I hate teleporting!"

Dax rolled his eyes, "Sure sounds like the old Samos."

Once again, Daxter was ignored, "Right now, I need you to go to Haven Forest and root out a few Metal Heads. That forest is the source of my power, but I can't protect it much longer. Chase down and destroy all the Metal Head Scouts you find there." He spoke up again as they walked out. "Good luck, and welcome to the fight."

As the second door shut behind them, Raye spoke up. "Was it just me, or did it sound like he had rehearsed part of that?"

-Raye's POV-

I was laughing as we walked back into the Slums. "You got thrown off! I can't believe it! You got _thrown_ _off_ of a Metal Head Scout! And into the water, no less!"

Jak glared at me. "Will you just shut up about that already?"

"Not a chance." I said, turning down the alley to get to the Hideout and seeing the Shadow standing outside with the kid and his Croca-dog. "Hey kid." The kid waved to me before he continued chasing the Croca-dog playfully.

Samos stepped forward, "I need you two to escort the kid over to Kor at the Power Station. He said he'd watch him, but I don't have time to take him over there myself or to baby-sit him here. Oh, and take the kid's Croca-dog with you." The Croca-dog growled at Samos.

"What's this kid's story?"

Samos glanced at the kid. "I found him wandering the streets, but the amulet around his neck may mean he is the true heir to the throne."

"That kid?" Daxter asked.

"Yes, Daxter. Do you see any other kids around here?" I motioned around the alley. Daxter glared at me, mouthing the words as soon as he thought I wasn't looking.

Samos sighed. "Just get the kid down to the Power Station. And if you happen to lose the Croca-dog..." Said animal growled at Samos again before running off with the boy close behind it.

Jak ran after him, "Hey, kid!" I cursed and pulled out my Blaster before running after him. I shot the KG that came at the kid, trying to get him.

"Jak, keep the Guards away from the kid!" I yelled, gunning another two down before they had a chance to charge their guns. I looked ahead of me to see a three-seater zoomer. I ran forward, grabbed the kid and his Croca-dog, and jumped in. "Keep your head down, kid." I ordered. He nodded and ducked down in the seat, the Croca-dog covering its head with its paws. I slammed into the Guard that was sneaking up behind Jak. "Get in!" I yelled. He blinked and climbed in, surprised.

"Drive, Raye, drive!" Daxter yelled from his usual spot on Jak's shoulder. I glared at him as I pressed down the gas pedal hard. I rammed down at least twenty Krimzon Guards before we got to the Power Station. The kid jumped out again after his Croca-dog. "There goes that crazy kid again!" Daxter yelled. Jak and I jumped out and followed the oblivious kid up the ramp.

"Why won't the door open?" I hissed, shooting all the Guards that I could. Jak and I had our backs to the door and were standing in front of the kid. Suddenly, the doors slid open and we all ran inside, the two elves who had weapons, i.e. me and Jak, panting for breath.

"Samos told us to bring the kid to you." Daxter told Kor, who was standing in the middle of the room. Vin was, surprisingly enough, nowhere to be seen. The kid ran over to Kor's side and Kor patted his head. "Thank you. I'll be sure to keep him close." I glared at him silently. 'Yeah, I'm sure you will.' I cursed him mentally, my fists tightening at my sides. I didn't notice the Croca-dog growling loudly at Kor until Jak scratched it behind the ears and it looked up at him, panting happily. "Interesting. That insufferable mutt never like anyone but the boy before." The dog growled again before looking up at Jak still panting.

"I'm just good with animals." He chuckled, looking at Daxter and grinning. Dax rolled his eyes.

"I hope we have enough eco to keep the Metal Heads at bay. During my travels in the deep Wasteland I saw some of the bigger ones. Awesome creatures." He waved his hand to emphasize his point.

Daxter jumped back onto Jak's shoulder. "We saw a big one coming out of a rift once. He was uuuuuuugly!" Dax made imaginary claws with his hands and stomped around on Jak's shoulder.

Kor was probably pretty pissed off right then. I mean, Daxter had just insulted him, unintentionally, of course. "Hmmmphh... I have some valuable information for you. The Baron is conducting an excavation at the Dig." He laughed, "He is still looking for that ridiculous Tomb." I glanced down to see the Croca-dog, ah, relieving himself on Kor's staff. Jak, Daxter, and I laughed silently as Kor shook off the staff. "Frankly, I don't believe it exists, but you might as well go out there and disrupt his operation just in case." I felt like yelling "Liar!" and shooting him right then and there, just to make him shut up. "Knock down all the scaffolding at the site." Kor said, waving his staff in Jak's face. "That should set him back. Here is an Air Train pass to get you out there." He walked over to the boy, who held out the pass. Jak took it from his hand. To him, that small gesture was meaningless. He had no idea how important it actually was.

As soon as we walked outside, the talkbox flew up. _"Jak, there are some Krimzon Guard crates out in the Port. My racing client says that you have some skill with that JET-Board of yours. Get down to the Port and destroy all those crates! No one, not even the Underground, wants those crates activated. So get to it!"_ The box dissapeared.

I sighed. "You know what? You go take care of the site, I'll go deal with the stuff in the Port." He nodded.

As soon as we got to the Air Train, Jak paused. "Raye, are you sure? I mean, I could help you with this when I get back-" I held up my hand to stop him.

"I'll be fine. You go." I shoved him playfully. He shoved me back before jumping onto the Air Train. I sighed and got on my JET-Board. I was not going to enjoy this.

Two minutes, forty-six seconds later, I had destroyed all the KG crap in the Port. I chuckled silently at the reaction Krew would probably have when he found out that I, not Jak, I, had destroyed the crates. I glanced over at the spot where the Air Train usually was, but it still hadn't returned. I sighed. Oh well. The talkbox Torn had finally given me, quite reluctantly, might I add, flew out of my pocket.

_"Raye, there's a disturbance in the Bazaar. I want you to go check it out."_ It clicked off.

I sighed and grabbed a nearby zoomer. "He could've at least waited for me to say alright." I muttered, heading towards the Hip Hog and turning as I got to the entrance normally covered by the yellow barrier. "Bet he would've let Jak get in an okay at least." I kept driving, avoiding Hellcats and KG zoomers until I got to where I had to go up on that stupid pathway. I jumped off the zoomer and walked in to the Bazaar. After turning the first corner, I ran into Ashelin and several Guards. "Ashelin!" I walked forward, braking suddenly when a Guard blocked me off with his gun.

Ashelin walked up. "Get out of the area! This is Krimzon Guard business."

"What's going on?" I asked, confused. I had no idea, this was one of those times when Jessi had the game. I always said I was going to play through on my own, but I never got around to it.

She glared at me for a moment before answering. "One of Vin's eco tankers is coming in from the Wasteland, but the clearance transmission sounded fishy. The driver was scared. We're checking it out, just in case."

"Anyway I can help?"

"I've got it covered." As soon as the words left her mouth, a large truck, the eco tanker, I guessed, crashed into the Bazaar. The top popped off, and a few Juice Goons and Grunts climbed out.

"It's a Metal Head sneak attack!" One of the Guards yelled. Ashelin pulled out her pistol.

"Damn! It's just us!" She turned to me. "Help me get rid of all the Metal Heads!" I nodded and pulled out my Vulcan Fury and hit the nearest Juice Goon with fifteen bullets.

I laughed. "Didn't know Metal Heads could fly!" I turned to the Grunt trying to sneak up on me. "Ah, ah, ah." The siren-like sound of my Vulcan was barely heard over the sound of firing KG pistols.

Finally, after shooting somewhere around two dozen Metal Heads, they stopped coming at us. I put up my gun and glanced around to see piles of dark eco everywhere. I walked over to one of the bigger ones and absorbed it quickly, before anyone saw. Ashelin kicked one of the eco barrels away. "We got 'em all! The Metal Heads are getting bolder every day. It's almost like they're testing out defences, like probing attacks. I've got a bad feeling about this." She walked off, her entourage of Guards following her.

I crossed my arms. "Yeah... you're welcome." I jumped as the stupid talk box rang once more. 'Please, don't let it be Torn.' I prayed silently.

_"Raye? Where are you?"_ It was Jak. I sighed.

"In the Bazaar. There was a Metal Head sneak attack."

_"What!"_ I heard his end hit the ground. _"Wait, why are you in the Bazaar?"_

"Torn sent me here."

Silence. _"Just get to the Saloon. Krew has a mission for us."_ The box clicked off. I sighed and put it in my pocket, looking up at the sky. The sun was setting. This was going to be a long night.

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SC: Okay, I've finally finished this chapter! And on the last day of school! Woohoo! No more school! I know the chapter is short and I apologize for it, but I really needed to finish this up. Anyways, I might skip most of this next mission with Jinx, because I seriously want to get to the tomb scene. That, and Jinx doesn't happen to be one of my favorite characters. Read and Review!


	17. Meeting Brutter and Back to the Sewers

SpontaneousCombustion: Okay, I made a mistake last chapter. At the end of the chapter, I put that I was skipping the mission with Jinx, which I still am, but I forgot about the first mission with Brutter and actually draining the sewers and _finding_ the statue of Mar. So, I apologize for that mess up. And any spelling or grammar mistakes I made, because I forgot to spell check everything.

Puck: Well, at least you admit to being stupid.

SC: You shut up! At least I don't try to catch invisible bugs. /Silence/ Yeah, that's what I thought. On with Chapter 17!

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Chapter 17

Meeting Brutter and Back to the Sewers

I jumped off the zoomer as I got to the Hip Hog Saloon. Jak was sitting out front waiting for me, obviously. "There you are."

I shrugged. "Not my fault, blame Torn."

"I plan to." He said, walking inside. I shook my head and followed him in. A Krimzon Guard brushed past us and out the door without a word or a glance in our direction. I stuck my tongue out at his back as the door whooshed closed and Krew flew down.

"The Baron sent his goons to harass me as usual, ey! Health violations! Back taxes! Everyone wants a piece of me! Aaahh well." He emphasized all this by waving his hands around as he spoke.

Daxter, of course, couldn't let this pass up and opened his fat, furry mouth. "Lucky for you there's plenty to go around!"

Jak and I laughed behind our hands as Krew glared at Daxter, who scooted next to Jak. "Ooooh, why you-" He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he turned toward me and Jak. "Destroying that cargo in the Port was more important than you know, ey! I've got a new project going around, and I don't need anyone snooping around my shipments."

I crossed my arms. "What kind of 'project?'"

Krew smirked down at me. "Let's just say that if everything goes as planned, I'm going to corner the market in Metal Head trophies." He laughed creepily. "Anyway, I have another job for you. An associate of mine, Brutter, works with me in the forced labor trade."

Jak glared. "You mean the slave trade."

"Uh, I prefer 'freedom challenged.'" Krew said. "Lurkers are the cities low class labor. Brutter pays me handsomely to help him free Lurkers and get them safely out of the city. Ahhhh, it lifts my spirit to help those in need... and I NEED his money!"

Daxter interrupted him again. "LURKERS! We don't like Lurkers!" He crossed his arms defiantly.

"But you do like Gun Upgrades, ey?" Krew tossed Jak and I an Upgrade, which we clicked onto our guns. "There are three Krimzon Guard Transports carrying Lurkers to a 'project' that the Baron has outside the city. Take out the transports and bring the three Lurkers to Brutter's trinket stand in the Bazaar."

Jak and I walked outside. "How do we know where they are?" Jak asked me.

I paused to consider this. "Ah! Hold on." I pulled out my talk box and punched in the number for the Power Station.

_"Hello?"_ Vin's voice fuzzed in.

I grinned. "Vin, do you think you could download the locations of three KG transports to those maps you gave me and Jak?"

_"Why?"_

"It's important. Please?"

_"Alright, just don't tell the Baron I-"_

"Ever saw and slash or talked to us. Yeah, we know. We don't have much time."

_"Sheesh, alright. Hold on..."_ There was the faint sound of typing in the background. _"Done!"_

"Thanks, Vin." I shut off the talk box. "I'm good." I grinned at Jak and Daxter. "Alright, let's go."

I'm skipping this mission. It's not that Brutter isn't important, I just don't like this mission.

Jak hopped off his zoomer and walked towards the messy stand. Brutter turned around as Daxter hopped up on the counter. "Little Orangey warrior! You have do great thing for Brutter and Lurker people!" He grabbed Dax and kissed him numerous times.

Daxter spat several times. "Eeeck! No toucha the 'do!'" He pushed his fur back in place.

Brutter set him down. "Oh, sorry... You great guys! And girl!" He added, looking at me. "Brutter not forget. Brutter pay you back. You see!"

"Thanks, Brutter." I said, walking off. Five seconds later, the all too familiar ring of Jak's talk box went off. "Five bucks says it's Krew."

Daxter laughed. "Yeah, right. I bet it's the Tattooed Wonder."

The machine flew up. _"Jak, I need you and Raye to get back to the Hip Hog, ey. I have another mission for you."_

I grinned at Daxter. "You owe me five bucks."

Jak and I walked into the Saloon to see Krew looking at the bottles on the back shelf. "Years ago, when I was an art 'collector,' I hit the local museum to, mmmm, 'borrow' a famous statue of Mar, the founder of Haven City. In its hands, the statue held the Ruby Key to the city, an artifact of surpassing beauty. . . and, of course, priceless worth, 'ey!"

Daxter leaned forward on Jak's shoulder. "Oh, I just _love_ art!

Krew swiped at Daxter, and missed, with the fan he was holding. "While smuggling the huge statue through the Sewers, a grueling rainstorm flooded the whole place. The statue and five of my best men were swept away!"

"That's terrible." Jak muttered.

Krew nodded. "Yes, a tragic loss. I've missed that statue ever since." Jak and I gave each other a disgusted look. "The Sewers has been so full of water and Metal Heads that I can't get anyone to go down there and retrieve the artifact!" He looked at Jak and I, smiling oddly. "But you two are special. You can do it." He touched my chin, making me jerk away.

Daxter leaned forward again. "Them? What am I? Chopped liver?" I laughed silently. 'Wrong choice of words, Dax.'

Krew grinned at Daxter. "Ohh, don't I wish, mmmmmmmmm?" He licked his fingers loudly. "Now go down there, drain the Sewers, and find that statue at the bottom. Bring back the Ruby Key, and it will open up doors beyond out wildest dreams, 'ey!"

Jak sighed. "Great, more mucking in the mud. . ."

Daxter leaned on Jak's head. "I hate to burst you're bathtub bubbles baby, but that ain't just mud down there."

I groaned as we walked out. "Don't remind us."

After dozens of Metal Heads and at least twice as many mines, which we avoided very carefully to make sure that none blew up, we reached the bottom of the Sewers and Mar's statue. We looked up at the statue, then at Daxter. He frowned and jumped off Jak's shoulder, then climbed up the statue with amazing speed. I laughed. "So you are good at something other than cowering in fear on Jak's shoulder!" I called.

"Ha ha. That was so funny that I forgot to laugh." He yelled down from Mar's scepter. He turned to the key and started trying to pull it out. After four or five tugs, it popped out and Daxter lost his grip on it, and it plummeted towards the ground. Luckily, Jak reached out and caught it before it hit the ground and, most likely, shattered.

"Whoa... got it!" He looked up at Daxter. "Where would you be without me, eh Dax?"

"Well, Jak, I probably wouldn't be two feet tall, fuzzy, and running around in a sewer without a pair of pants!" There was a pause, then: "God, I miss pants."

I shook my head. "Daxter, quit whining or we'll leave without you." He climbed down quickly and back onto Jak's shoulder.

"You know, Jak, if you had moved that fast a few years ago, I probably wouldn't be whining about pants!"

"Shut up."

"Ah, fresh air! Thank god!" Daxter said as we stepped out of the lift. I silently agreed with Daxter. Jak and I would rather fight a dozen Metal Heads rather than go back down there once again. Lucky us, we get to do both when we go back down there. Joy.

"Raye?" I blinked as Daxter called my name. "Earth to Raye. Come in, Raye." He waved his hand/paw thingy in front of my face. I slapped it away.

"Quit it." I snapped.

Jak sighed. "Don't make me separate you two." He turned to me. "If you're done spacing out, Vin just called. He's got a mission for us."

If I could've mushroom sighed, I would have. "Damn. Alright, but afterwards, I get to take a really long nap back at the hideout." I paused. "Or a HUGE cup of coffee."

"Deal." He laughed, walking up the nearby ramp. I followed begrudgingly, fighting the urge to yawn.

SC: I know the chapter is short, I'm sorry. But I'm going on vacation for a week and I needed to get this finished up and posted. And then I get to go to Michigan on the twenty-fourth, and not come back until the twenty-sixth of July.

Puck: Yeah, so she's not going to be near her PS2 or her computer.

SC: sob I'm gonna go through withdrawals! I need my Playstation and my fanfic! Waaaaaaaaaaaaah! Damn this sucks!

Puck: You'll have to forgive her. She's so used to having access to her electronics that she goes crazy without them.

SC: Crazy? I do not!

Puck: Yes, you do. You do until you get over to your dad's house, because he's got a playstation2 over there. Just not Jak 2. We're all just lucky that you're grandpa has AOL. Otherwise... Ooooh, scary thoughts.

SC: Death glare Shove it, you! R&R people!


	18. Let's blow up some shit!

SC: Ha! I've conquered my grandpa's computer! I snuck the disk with all my fanfic stuff on it up here, so "HA!" to you, Mom. Anyway, I'm going to thank my reviewers for chapter 17 before I start chapter 18. Which reminds me, I need to get this out of my system. (Big breath) I've got over 50 reviews! Yes! Finally! And to my reviewers that got me over fifty, COOKIES! Oh, and I just saw War of the Worlds, which is an awesome movie, even though I will never be able to hear a foghorn without screaming.

Puck: It's best if you don't ask why.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005: I'll update as soon as possible with chapter nineteen.

Rick: You love my story? I am honored. And of course I'll finish it! Otherwise I couldn't have all my loyal reviewers kill me over the ending, which, B.T.W., has two, count 'em, two surprises! Oh, and I think you'll like the last line that Raye says to Daxter.

Yoko Child of the Moon: You changed your name **_AGAIN!_** How many names are you going to go through? I have about six things to say to you: 1) Withdrawals are _not_ nice. They are awful. And make me really bored. 2) Amusing I can live with. 3) To what, exactly, are you saying "poor Daxter" too? There are at least three situations in that chapter where you could say that. 4) It is Michigan, not whatchamacallit. And 5) I'll post as soon as I can! Okay, only five. Bite me.

SC: All right, now on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own Raye. That's it.

Chap. 18

Let's blow up some shit! 

When Jak and Raye walked into the Power Station, Vin was freaking out. "Guys, we've still got trouble at the Strip Mine! I think the Baron set me up! Actually . . .ah, ahh," He ran over to a different computer and glanced at the screens nervously, "I think everybody's trying to kill me!"

Jak blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Vin didn't turn around to answer, just kept typing. "Those eco wells the Baron had us drill? It seems he never intended to pipe them into the city grid! It doesn't make any sense!" He suddenly ducked down behind one of the consoles, glancing around nervously. "You know, open eco wells will attract more Metal Heads." He ran out and grabbed Daxter, shaking him. "You've got to close them off!" He ducked behind another console and reappeared holding a heavy looking box of what looked like basket balls made out of metal. "Now, these plasmite bombs should do the trick." He handed the box to Jak, who stumbled backwards at the weight. "Drop one into each well, heh and the explosion will do the rest." He emphasized that with his hands. Jak stumbled again, and one of the bombs slipped out of the box. Luckily, Daxter caught it. The only reason it was lucky is because if it had hit the floor, it would have immediately blown up. "Hey, be careful with that!"

Daxter looked at the bomb in his paws. "Plasmite, huh? Cool." He shook the bomb several times. "How does it work?" The bomb suddenly started flashing bright red and beeping.

"Like that!" Raye yelled. "Daxter, get rid of it!"

"Agghhh! I believe this is yours!" He cried tossing it to Vin.

"Hey, not my problem any more!" Vin tossed it back.

"No. Really, I insist." Once again it was tossed like a hot potato.

"Hey! You're the hero!"

"No! Jak's the hero!" Daxter tossed the bomb into the box Jak was carrying, causing all the bombs to activate at once. Jak and Raye glared at the Ottsel.

"Great! Now you've armed the whole lot! Don't move!" All three of them froze in place, even Jak, who was staggering still under the intense weight of the bombs. "On second thought, MOVE! Far away! Go through the portal and drop one bomb in each eco well! You only have two minutes!" He called as they ran through the portal.

Once they were through, Raye grabbed three of the bombs and yanked her JET-Board off of her back "You take half, I'll take half." Jak nodded and ran in the other direction, grabbing his board out as well.

"Let's blow up some shit."

45 seconds later

Raye ran up the moving ramps, her JET-Board safely on her back. "Of course." She muttered to herself while running. "I had to get the well that's up here." Jak had finished already and was looking around, trying to find her. She turned her sights back to the moving crates.

'Gotta time this just right.' She thought, using her feet to shove herself off the edge of the platform. She landed cleanly on the crate, and jumped to the next one, then on to the platform on the opposite side. She leaped back onto her board, skated up the ramp, and threw the bomb in. It landed with a quiet "plunk" and she zoomed off the platform so she wasn't caught in the explosion.

As she jumped up next to Jak, the eco wells all blew up, one after another. "Woo. High ya! Whaaaaa!" Jak and Raye plugged their ears as the well closest to them exploded, knocking Daxter flat on his furry ass. Jak and Raye started snickering as he sat up and glared at them. "Can we go back now?"

Raye glanced at him. "In a moment. First…" She yanked out her Blaster. "Never. Touch. Anything. Like. Those. Mines. Again. Got it?" Daxter gulped and nodded quickly. "All right then. Let's go home." She put her gun away and walked off.

At the Power Station (Raye's POV)

As we walked back through the Warp Gate, we saw an incredibly nervous Vin typing on yet another computer. Daxter rolled his eyes. "What a brain wreck! Vin sure is scared of Metal Heads."

"And for good reason." Kor said, walking through the doors. "I've seen what Metal Heads do when they take a city. The destruction. The killing. The devouring." He emphasized all this with various hand gestures. Dark perked up._ 'Was it just me, or did he sound . . . happy as he said that last part?'_ I shrugged.

'Yeah. He was probably the one doing most of the devouring.' Kor started talking again, so I tried to look like I was paying attention, even though I had memorized this scene by heart from playing it so many times on the Scene Player for Act Two. 'Hey, I've made it all the way to Act Two. Cool!' I thought, mentally laughing. Kor once again broke through my train of thought. "We must replace Praxis before it is to late." Whoops, missed a whole sentence there. Oh well. "I am happy to say that you two and your sidekick are causing quite a stir in our fight against the Baron."

Daxter looked up at Jak. "You hear that Jak? You're the sidekick!" We both rolled our eyes. Let him think what he wishes for the moment. We all knew who was the one hiding in the corner while Jak and I did the fighting. Daxter looked back at Kor as the old man placed his hand over a certain area that seriously caused some pain when you kicked a guy there. Hey, ah, wise and whiskered. You, ah, got something itchin' under your robes? They have ointment for that you know."

There was a barely noticeable pause before Kor replied. "It's just my aching bones." He straightened up. "We have word that the Baron is sending out one of his large tankers to pick up a load of ill-gotten eco. Go out there and knock out that ship!" He ordered in a voice that sounded more like a giant creature of some kind, like a Metal Head, instead of an old man. "The Shadow will send a team from the Underground to pick up the eco later. Keep up the good work. We're counting on you!"

Before we went to through the Warp Gate, again, I paused. "I'm gonna go take that nap now, alright?"

Jak nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll handle this." He hopped through the gate. As I walked out, I noticed Kor giving me an odd look. "What?"

"Nothing. I believe I've met you before, when you were younger." He said thoughtfully.

I faked a sweet grin. "That would be impossible. I only arrived in Haven a little over two years ago." I walked out, the sweet smile replaced by a scowl. 'Bastard.' (a/n: I'm skipping up to where Keira and the guys reunite.)

At the Race Garage

Jak and I walked into the Garage to see that the mechanic was working on her "secret vehicle project" once again. "We destroyed Krew's cargo." Jak said.

"Great. I'll send you a medal. Now if you don't mind, I'm on a deadline, so scram!"

Jak glared at the shadow on the curtain. "Are you always this difficult?"

Daxter jumped down. "Let me handle this, Jak." He said, walking towards the curtain. "Listen lady, we beat your stupid course, and we can outrace anybody in this city. . ."

The figure suddenly looked up. "Wait! That voice . . ."

Daxter, of course, just kept on yakking. "And there are just two things you need to know. One, we don't wanna join your stinkin' race team, and two, you just lost a date with Orange Lightning." He told her before turning around and starting to walk off. "Let's go guys."

The curtain flew open, revealing none other than Keira. "Daxter! It IS you!"

The rodent in question jumped around. "Keira!"

"Oh, I never thought I'd be so happy to see your furry mug! And Jak! You look… different."

Jak looked away. "It's been a rough ride." Keira reached out to touch his shoulder.

"The Baron here pumped our boy full of Dark Eco, and it did something to him." Keira pulled her hand away at the words "dark eco," like they were poison. Okay, well, technically I suppose it is, but it couldn't hurt her as long as it was inside Jak! "Now he's got super moves or something. And a few anger issues as well." Jak swiped at his head, barely missing. Keira finally seemed to notice me.

She frowned. "Who's she?" Oh boy. I knew that tone all to well. Keira was pissed.

Jak blinked. "Oh. Keira, this is Raye. Raye, Keira."

I smiled warmly. "So this is the girl Jak talked about constantly for two years. I'm glad I can finally meet you."

Jak turned back to Keira. "Raye's a friend who I helped escape the Baron's prison."

Keira glared at me. "What did you do to get put in there?"

Okay, that crossed the line. I glared straight back at her. "I didn't do anything. I got snatched off the streets, just like Jak did." I snapped.

She glared at me one last time before turning back to the boys. "I've been looking for you two forever! And planning a way to get us back home. Somehow that rift sent us far in to the future. I've calculated the time displacement and…"

Jak cut her off. "We found your father… well, sort of."

Daxter jumped in to help. "Working with the Underground. But he's ahh…"

"What?" Keira asked, getting confused.

"You need to see him." Jak told her. "And I need to get to the Baron."

Keira thought a moment before answering. "You could try to win the Class One Racing Championships. The winner of that big race always gets to meet the Baron at the Palace. But you have to qualify by winning the lower class races. There's a Class Three Race starting soon. You could drive for my team!" She lowered her voice. "But Jak, we really should think about getting out of here. I don't like this place. And some of the people are creepy…"

And to prove that point, Krew came floating into the Garage. How he got out of the Saloon, I couldn't tell you. "Jak, my boy. I need that Ruby Key you found, 'ey. A 'special client' has requested it."

Jak scratched the back of his head in an "oops, my bad" manner. "Sorry about that, Krew. Heh heh… I must've forgotten." He pulled the key out of his bag and Krew snatched it out of his hand quickly.

"Right." He said, looking at the key and grinning evilly. He flew out as soon as that was over and a voice came over the speakers.

"Attention drivers. The Class Three Qualifying Races are starting soon." The female computer voice that I found oh-so-annoying announced. I turned to Jak.

"Get going. You've got a race to win. I'll be cheering you on from the stands." He shook his head, smiling, and walked off. I started to follow, but Keira grabbed my arm.

"Listen up, I don't know what you think you're doing with Jak, but-"

I cut her off. "Look, you can have Jak. He's all yours, all right?" I shoved her hand off my arm, a little harder than I probably needed to. "We have the same goal, that's it." I walked off, leaving her with a startled look on her face.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jak set the bronze Class Three Champion trophy down on Keira's worktable. "When is this city gonna provide some challenge, huh?" Daxter bragged.

I rolled my eyes. "Uh, hello? Earth to Daxter, Jak's the one who did the racing, not you."

"Yeah, but I was telling him what to do."

I rolled my eyes as Ashelin walked in. "Hey, I watched you race today. You were pretty amazing out there." She told him.

If Jak had the ability to blush, he would have. "Oh… thanks… ah, Keira, this is Ashelin. She's just…"

Keira glared at the redhead. "Everyone knows who she is."

Jak blinked before turning back to Ashelin. "And Keira's a…"

Keira laid her hand on Jak's arm. "A friend. A very good friend."

Ashelin seemed to ignore to her and turned to me. "Thanks for helping out with, Raye. You saved a lot of lives." She started to walk out, but stopped at the door. "I'm not my father, you know. Ever since I was a little girl. I've looked down at the city streets from that ridiculous Palace, and thought of a better place." Her sentimental confession was cut short by two KGs walking by. She looked back at us over her shoulder, her usual harsh look on her face. "By the way, they're hunting for you. I'd watch out for Errol. I can't protect from him." And with that subtle warning, she left.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Daxter let out a whistle. "Whew, she's a betty! And she likes you, Jak. Not that I can account for her tastes. Bet you'd like to pin some medals on her chest, huh? Heh heh heh." Keira looked hurt at that last sentence and turned on her heel and left. Daxter looked surprised. "What? What'd I say? What'd you say, Jak?"

I hit upside the head. "He didn't say anything! You did! You made Keira think that Jak likes Ashelin more than her!"

"Let it go, Raye." Jak said, walking out.

I jumped down from my perch on the counter. "Jak? Jak, wait up!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SC: Okay, Chapter 18's over. I'm skipping up to where the seal gets completed next chapter, because I really don't like the "chase down the three seal pieces" missions. I really hate the one where you have to get Brutter's piece from the Water Slums. The KGs just don't stop coming!

Puck: Excuse her, she's still thinking about the Tripods popping up from under the ground and vaporizing people.

SC: So… much… vaporizing…

Torn: Is she going to be okay?

Puck: Err... I think so. Just let her get a good night's sleep. She'll be fine. And since she can't say it, R&R people!


	19. Completeing the Seal&Mar's Tomb revealed

SC: All right, like I said last chapter, I'm skipping up to the part where they complete the seal.

Puck: 'Cause she's lazy.

SC: No, it's because I want to get to the tomb already. Now, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: How many times do I have to do this? I don't own Jak and Daxter. Naughty Dog does.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter 19

Completing the Seal and Mar's Tomb Revealed

Jak and Raye walked into Onin's tent, laughing at the fact that Daxter had to walk around with the top of the Lurker Totem on his head for fifteen minutes while they stopped laughing long enough to pull it off of him, which caused his fur to stand on end, which, in turn, made them laugh harder. (a/n: Wow, that's a long sentence.) They were surprised, however to see Kor standing there, talking with Pecker. Well, arguing would be a more precise word.

"Expecting that little boy to save us is folly! At his age, he is no match for the Metal Head leader." With that he turned around, and nearly ran into the two elves. "Oh…Jak, Raye. We were just discussing Samos' plan."

Onin suddenly started making symbols with her hands. "Onin says your voice sounds very familiar." Pecker translated. He laughed. "I'll bet you two golden oldies go way, WAY back, huh?" Kor looked nervous as Onin glared at him. Pecker turned to Jak and Raye. "Onin needs you two to prove yourselves. You've shown your brass, and your brawn. Now you must show your brains as well." Onin illustrated the point by doing muscle poses as Pecker was speaking. "Frankly, I think she's pushing it, but I'm not the boss. Beat this test and the third piece to the Seal will be revealed."

(a/n: I have no idea how to do this mission, so we're skipping it.)

Jak and Raye blinked as the three Seal pieces arranged themselves together in front of them. "Behold! The Seal of Mar is now complete." Jak grabbed the Seal from where it was floating. "Onin says that the artifacts that you retrieved from the Mountain Temple… arrrk… are relics from an ancient Light Tower. Old songs tell how this Light Tower once shined down on the actual sight of Mar's tomb! I sing one of these songs for you now!" Pecker took a big breath. "'From the mists of time, Mar's light would shine…" His singing was so awful that it surprised everyone. Kor dropped his staff, and everyone's jaws dropped. Jak, thankfully, shook it off and interrupted him.

"Whoa there iron lungs! Just tell us what we need to do."

Pecker glared insultedly. "Cretins with no taste, huh?" He spat at them. "You must take the three artifacts to Mar's gate. Only then will the Light Tower rise and reveal the Tomb. The two elves ran out of the tent, but only Raye seemed to notice that Kor had disappeared after Jak had stopped Pecker's singing.

- - - - - - - -(Time skip) - - - - - - - - - -

Jak and Raye stepped through the Warp Gate to get up to the forest. They quickly shot the platform to get across and rode down the elevator. Jak stepped up to the door and held up the Seal of Mar. The door opened and they went through. Several minutes later, they came to the area where the dormant Light Tower stood. Jak threw the gear to Daxter, the crystal to Raye, and he ran over to the area where the lens went. Jak and Daxter both gave Raye the thumbs up and she put in the crystal. The light tower rose slowly and the beam shot into the city. The talkbox flew out of Jak's pocket.

_"I can't believe that the tomb was in the city this whole time! Onin says good work and to get back to the city ASAP!" _Pecker squawked over it before the machine flew back into Jak's pocket.

Raye turned to Jak. "You heard the loud mouth Monkaw. Let's go!" They laughed and ran back out the gate, towards the death-defying leap over the bottomless pit, over said leap, and back through the gate to the city.

Raye's POV

To my disappointment, instead of blowing the statue of Praxis' statue to smithereens, the beam had only revealed the door to the tomb. What surprised me most was that no one seemed to notice Jak and I walk through the newly appeared door. Not even the Krimzon Guards who were patrolling the area not even two yards away. 'That's a bit odd.' I thought as the door closed behind us and the lift went down.

We went through the next door to see the Tomb entrance and Kor, Samos, and the Kid standing in front of it. Samos turned as we walked in. "You did it! You actually found Mar's Tomb!"

Jak placed his hands on the Kid's shoulders. "Great! Now what? We send this poor Kid into a meat grinder?" The Kid looked nervous at this statement, so I took his hand reassuringly.

Kor, on the other hand, wasn't even paying attention to us. "This is the day I've long awaited." He said, looking at the large doors longingly. "To finally hold the fabled Precursor Stone in my hands."

Samos didn't seem to hear Kor. He looked at the boy. "You must be cautious, child. The tests of manhood are sure to be filled with peril, and Mar's heir must face them alone." This did not help the poor Kid, who was shaking slightly now.

Daxter jumped down from Jak's shoulder. "It's okay, Kid. You can do it! It's just a deep, pitch black, 'sure to be filled to the brim with death' old tomb." Jak and I signaled for him to stop. He didn't see us. "I wouldn't go in there." By now, the poor Kid was on the verge of tears. I knelt down next to him and pulled him into a hug, glaring at Daxter over the boy's shoulder.

We all looked up when the booming voice of the Precursor filled the room. "Welcome heir of Mar. Finally, the chosen one stands before me. Enter and prove yourself worthy to claim the ancient birthright." The door opened slowly as it was speaking, and Jak was walking forward, like he was in a trance.

"Jak?" I called his name softly. He didn't hear me, just kept walking towards the door.

The Precursor's voice jolted him out of his trance. "NO! This child is to young to face the tests!" The door began to shut.

"What! No!" Kor yelled.

"Do something, Jak!" Samos yelled. Jak ran forward, towards the door.

Daxter started to run after him. "Jak, remember the 'sure to be filled to the brim with painful death' part!" He yelled as Jak rolled under the nearly closed door. Just when he was almost through, he turned around and tried to run the other direction, his momentum and the fact that Jak's hand shot under the door and pulled him through seconds before it slammed shut.

I relinquished my grip on the Kid and ran over to the door, pounding on it. "Damn it! Open back up, you damned door!" I stopped pounding on the door. "Jak, what've you done?" I whispered.

"Great tree limbs!" Samos shouted. "He's gone to face the tests!"

"No." Kor corrected him. "He's gone to his death."

My ears twitched as the quiet sound of the door behind us opening reached them. My eyes widened. 'Oh, shit.' I remembered this part of the game.

"Freeze!"

Regular POV

Three heads simultaneously whipped around to see at least a dozen Krimzon Guards standing behind them, each with a gun pointed at one elf or another. They all raised their hands slowly, except for Raye, who stood there, her face emotionless and still turned towards the Tomb door. She heard boots walking over and her hands were pulled down behind her back and handcuffed.

"Didn't think I'd see you again, Raye." A familiar voice that she heard in her worst nightmares laughed. Raye stiffened. "What's wrong? Not happy to see me?" He whispered, so close to her ear that she could feel his breath on her skin.

"Errol." She growled. He licked her cheek, making her shudder and swallow the bile that rose in her throat.

The Commander laughed. "Surprise, surprise." He smirked fiendishly. "Won't Baron Praxis be happy to know that one of his lab rats is going to be coming back for more eco treatments." He frowned when he didn't get a reaction from her and forced her around. Her eyes blazed when she saw three of the guards going after the Kid.

"Don't you touch him!" She yelled. Errol laughed and nodded to one of the Guards, who grabbed the child's wrist tightly, making him cry out. Raye let out an inhuman cry as the dark eco in her blood took over. The cuffs on her wrists snapped easily and she held Errol in the air by the neck.

The kid let out another cry as one guard grabbed him around the middle and ran for the lift. Raye blinked and dropped the now unconscious commander. She leaped on the guard's shoulders and snapped his neck before grabbing the Kid out of his hands and running for the lift. As the doors shut, she looked up to see that the ricocheting bullets had cut the wires. She growled softly and put the Kid on her back.

"Hold on." She ordered. He nodded and put his arms around her neck tightly. Raye dug her claws into the wall and shoved herself up, nearly to the top. She grabbed the edge and pulled herself and the boy out before ripping through the door that blocked her exit.

"It's the eco freak!"

"Someone call the Krimzon Guards!" Raye ignored the voices assaulting her ears and kept running until she found a parked zoomer. _'Dark, what are you doing? You don't know how to drive that thing!'_

'I know. I don't care. I'm going to save this Kid. You would. Besides, I've seen how to drive it from you. Hit the accelerator, aim where you want to go, and don't hit the wall. ' She replied before jumping on the zoomer and hitting the accelerator. She had gotten out to the Water Slums before she heard the Cruiser behind her. Several bullets ripped through her, and another dozen or so flew into the zoomer, which blew up promptly. She and the Kid were thrown onto the empty docks of the Water Slums. She reverted back to normal as several pairs of boots walked into her blurring line of sight.

"Good thing you had the Slums cleared out before she got her, Commander." A voice said. "Hey, here's the kid. He's out cold. Not to badly scratched up, either." One picked up the Kid.

"N…no." Raye gasped.

None of the Guards seemed to hear her. "What should we do with her? The Baron only wants the him." A second said. "We can't leave her here. Some Slummer's bound to find her body."

"Simple." A deeper voice said. 'Errol!' Raye felt a boot push against her already sore ribs and shove her into the water. Raye willed her muscles to do something to keep her from sinking, but her arms and legs wouldn't respond. Shadowy figures moved away from the docks as Raye felt herself hit bottom. The air that was in her lungs burst free in small bubbles that floated in front of her eyes. 'This is it.' She thought. 'I'm gonna die.' Her vision darkened even more. Another silhouette entered her line of sight, blurred by the murky water and her still darkening vision. Before she blacked out from lack of air, she heard a splash and felt a pair of arms wrap around her, pulling her up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SC: I know, it's a short chapter, and I'm sorry. I'll give a cookie to anyone who guesses the identity of the person who saved Raye! R&R, peoples!


	20. Breaking into and out of prison

1Chapter 20

Breaking into (and out of) prison

? POV

I ran after Errol as his zoomer flew past me, chasing the thing with the Kid. I leaped onto the one I had borrowed from a citizen earlier and flew after him.

The chase lasted until we reached the Water Slums. A hellcat pulled out of nowhere, making me come to an abrupt brake, and fired at the zoomer. It blew up, sending both passengers flying onto the docks. I watched in shock as the thing slowly transformed back into Raye. I shook it off and slipped under the cover of the shadows in the nearby alley. I peered out to see the guards from the Hellcat and one from the zoomer that had accompanied Errol's walk over to her. I could just hear their conversation.

"Good thing you had the Slums cleared out before she got her, Commander." One said. "Hey, here's the kid. He's out cold. Not to badly scratched up, either." He picked up the unconcious boy. I could've sworn I heard something almost like a gasp of protest from Raye, but it may have only been my imagination.

"What should we do with her? The Baron only wants the him." The second one said. "We can't leave her here. Some Slummer's bound to find her body."

"Simple." Errol walked up to Raye and kicked her into the water. "Let's go. Baron Praxis is waiting for us." They got back into their vehicles and flew off, back towards the Palace.

I snuck out from my hiding place and went over to the edge of the dock. I could just barely see Raye's body at the bottom of the water. I dove in.

My arms went around Raye's waist as I pulled her up through the murky water. She was surprisingly light. I threw her onto the docks and pulled myself out, pushing my bright red hair out of my face. I put her arm around my shoulders and pulled her over to my zoomer. I would have to take her to the Palace, I didn't have time to get her to the Underground. The guards were probably going to get suspicious if the Baron's daughter wasn't locked up in her room like she was supposed to be. (a/n: Ha! I got you guys!)

- - - - -

When I woke up, I realized two things. One, I wasn't dead, which was a good thing. Two, I was in a room that I couldn't recognize, from the game or any where else that I had been. The door opened behind me and I whipped around to see Ashelin standing there. "You're awake."

I nodded. "Yeah. Where am I?"

"The Palace." I literally jumped up, then fell to the floor because my legs wouldn't hold me. "A wound on your leg opened back up. I had to re-bandage it."

I blinked. "Oh. Must've been the one from when me and Jak blew up the ammo dump." I pulled myself back onto the couch I had been laying on. "How'd I get here?"

Ashelin sat down across from me. "When my father found out I was still in contact with Torn, he got angry and threatened to kill me if Torn didn't tell him where the Tomb was. In order to save me, Torn complied and my father sent Errol and a few troops there. I escaped and went after them, to try and stop them."

I interrupted her story. "On your own?"

She nodded. "I can handle myself."

"Yeah, I know. I've seen you fight." I reminded her. "But that still doesn't explain how I ended up here."

Ashelin frowned. "When I arrived, I was too late. I was about to go down there, but then something ran out, carrying the Kid that the Shadow is protecting, with Errol and the KG that were sent with them after it."

I held up my hand to stop her. "I know this part."

Ashelin nodded. "I followed Errol to the Water Slums and saw him blow up the zoomer, and I saw the thing that had the Kid turn into you."

I sighed. "A result of the eco treatments."

"Ah. Back to the point, I hid in an alley as the Guards grabbed the kid and Errol shoved you into the water. After the Hellcats flew away, I snuck out and pulled you out of the water, then brought you here."

I remained silent for a minute to let all of that sink in. "Why?"

She blinked. "Why what?"

"Why'd you save me?"

She shrugged. "You're a good fighter. The Underground needs you to fight, and you can't very well do that if you're dead."

"Oh." I suddenly remembered that the Shadow and Kor had been down there with me. "Shit! The Shadow; he was down there with me and Jak!"

Ashelin nodded. "He was captured, as well as Tess."

"Why Tess? Never mind, don't answer that." I shook my head and tried to stand up again. "I've got to help them."

Ashelin shoved me down. "And get yourself captured as well? No, I have an idea." She walked over to her closet and pulled out an all to familiar red uniform.

I grinned. "Oh, you're good."

- -

About twenty minutes later, I was fully dressed in a KG uniform. "This is... uncomfortable." I shifted uselessly. It truly was annoying, especially the chest plate.

"Unless you've forgotten, most of the Guard are male."

"Save you."

"And maybe one or two more." She patted my back. "This should get you into the Fortress. Just don't run down any other Guards on the way there."

I laughed and started walking out. "I'll try." I got through the Palace no problem. After following the directions Ashelin gave me to get to the garage, (a.n.: Yes, the Palace has a garage! They've gotta put all those Hellcats somewhere!) I grabbed a zoomer and took off towards the blinking red dot on the map built into the dashboard.

When I got to the fortress, I nearly laughed at the ease I had passing through. The guards were so convinced I was one of them! One of them, in the new and improved gold armor, chatted with me as he turned off the security. "I suppose you can't really call us all the Krimzon Guards anymore."

I smirked beneath my helmet. "Suppose not." I kept my speaking down to a minimum.

"Yeah. Some idiots made up a new name for us. The 'Golden Guards.' How corny is that? Suppose it isn't any worse than the Krimzon Guards, though." The security gate went down. "Alright, you're in."

"Thanks." I walked past him, and the gate clicked back on behind me. I chuckled quietly. "Golden Guards? Oh spare me."

Forty-five minutes and three security gates later, I was in. There were already a pair of guards in there. They didn't question me when I said I was here for the next shift, Ashelin had told me when the shift changes were. The guard I was taking over for was... well, lets just say he was going to be taking a nice, long nap.

As soon as the guards were gone I peered into the cell Tess was in. "Tess? Tess! It's me, Raye!" I whispered.

The blonde looked up from the corner of the cell she was sitting. "Raye? Is that really you?" I turned around so it looked like I was standing guard.

I shoved up the face plate just long enough for her to get a good look at my face, then pushed it back down. "Yeah, it's me. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I am. Where are Jak and Daxter?"

I paused. "Don't worry, they're safe." 'I think.' "Look, I'm going to see if I can find the keys to these cells and get you out." I started scouring the room. I stopped and looked over to the middle of the room to see an all to familiar chair. I shuddered. I could sense the eco-tainted blood that was still coated on it. "Why, in Mar's name, doesn't Praxis have more than _one_ dungeon?"

Ten minutes later, I still hadn't find anything. I kicked the wall I stood in front of. There was a dull thunk, and my foot throbbed. I cursed loudly and knelt down, opening the helmet's visor so I could see better. I froze in my position as I felt a dull push on the back of my helmet, which wouldn't of bothered me if I hadn't heard the click of a trigger. "I can't believe your still alive, Raye. So tell me: How did you manage to get out of the water after I hit you with that dart?"

"Dart? What dart?." I said, trying to keep my voice calm. I succeeded. Sort of.

He laughed. I was getting _sooo _sick of that laugh. "Oh, but I did. Otherwise, you would've been able to get right back up and grab the kid again, right after my men and I shot your zoomer out of the air." I faintly remember thinking a piece of shrapnel had hit me in the shoulder.

I cursed. I couldn't say anything about Ashelin, she would be killed. Praxis had already threatened her life once. "The water must've loosened my muscles or something. I don't know. I got lucky."

"Well, let us see how 'lucky' you get with this." He twisted my wrists behind me and pulled me up, momentarily loosening his grip to holster his pistol. I took the opening. I broke free of his grip and tried to run, but I wasn't used to the extra weight of the armor and tripped. I scowled as Errol grabbed me again. "Ah ah, Raye."

"Screw off." I growled. He laughed.

"You're going to regret that."

Fifteen minutes later, I had been stripped of the armor, and was now held by four guards as Errol paced up and down the floor, glancing at me occasionally. "What are we waiting for, exactly?"

Errol grinned at me. "Oh, you'll see. And it's more of a _who_ than a _what_."

My eyes widened. "Oh no. Please, Mar, no." As soon as those words left my mouth, Baron Praxis walked in the room. It was a flashback of the last two years all over again. I started fighting against the guards with all my strength, but it wasn't very much compared to the Guards new armor.

I was strapped down to the table quickly, and I noticed that the straps holding me were stronger, much stronger, than last time and there was now one that wrapped around my middle. I was still fighting against the table as Praxis and Errol walked up. I growled. "Let me go!"

Praxis chuckled. "Oh, we will, Raye. As soon as you tell me where the Underground is hiding!" He slammed his fist near my head. I didn't flinch.

"Go. To. Hell."

The Baron glared at me and started to walk away. "She's yours to do with what you wish, Commander." Oh hell no. I really didn't like that. "After-"

I groaned. "Oh goody. There's an after."

Praxis backhanded me across the face. Ow. That really hurt. "After she goes through a few more eco doses."

Praxis laughed as my struggles got increasingly more desperate. He nodded to Errol, who walked over and pressed the on switch. I heard the ray charge up, and then fire. The beam hit me directly in my chest. I screamed. I heard Tess run over to her cell window. "Raye! Leave her alone!"

I managed to look over in her direction. "T...Tess...don't... don't..." That was all I managed to get out from the gasps of air I was getting between screams. But it was an improvement from last time. At least I could breathe this time.

The beam shut off and I was writhing in pain. "Son... of...of a... bitch..." I growled. "You... aren't... getting...any...thing... outta...me!"

Praxis frowned and, for a brief moment of terror, I thought he was going to order Errol to turn the machine back on. Instead, he laughed. "Oh, we will Raye. You're going to be in here for a long time. And those friends of yours will break all to easy."

I looked over at the tank that held the dark eco that powered the beam. "You'll have to recharge that thing first." I smirked. "You just wasted the last of your eco." I grunted as Praxis' fist connected with my stomach.

He turned to Errol. "Check the tank."

For a moment, Errol's expression clearly read "are you nuts?" but he did anyway. "She's right, sir. It's empty, and it was our last barrel of dark eco."

"See?" I smirked.

Praxis glared at me."Put her in the cell with the other girl." He walked off, Errol behind him.

The guards opened the cell door and threw me unceremoniously inside. I stayed sprawled out on the floor, feeling the cuts the chains made in my skin, and the wounds that had reopened, leak my blood all over the floor.

"Hold still, child." Said a familiar voice. I felt something flip me over and saw a green glow. The pain in my stomach faded away and I was able to shove myself up. I could taste my dark eco tainted blood in my mouth and spat, my spit tinted red. I looked up to see Samos the Sage, the one who had raised Jak, healing the wounds on my legs through the window between his cell and Tess'.

"Thanks." I rasped out, my voice rough from screaming.

He nodded. "Hold out your wrists." I did so, letting the Green Eco Sage heal the cuts there as well.

I leaned against the wall. "Samos, right? Jak told me about you."

"Raye, are you alright?" Tess asked, kneeling down next to me.

I smirked. "Yeah, just give me a few hours. I've been through this hundreds of times. My body just needs to absorb the eco." I paused. "Actually... I think I may have an idea."

Ten minutes later, Tess was backed up against a wall, and I was standing at the door. I concentrated on the Dark Eco flowing through my veins. Yes, there was just enough. My breathing became ragged and uneven as I attempted to transform. I felt my muscles spasm and I fell to the floor. My body couldn't take it. "Damn!" I cursed. "I don't have enough energy." I looked over at Tess. "Sorry if I scared you."

She shook her head. "It's alright. I was more scared of you hurting yourself."

I laughed. "Thanks." I really meant it, too. That was probably the first show of compassion that I had received in a long time.

We sat in the cell for another two hours at least before anything happened. Suddenly, the guards standing outside our cells let out a surprised yell, then the familiar sound of gunfire followed by four thumps. Tess and I both stood up, me with a bit more effort, as the doors to the cells swung open, and Daxter was standing in the doorway of the one Tess and I were in.

SC: Man, I got you guys. You really thought I was gonna have Torn save Raye, didn't you?

Puck: She's never gonna let this drop. No one even guessed Ashelin.

SC: Sorry about bragging, but I got a flame that was ridiculing me because they thought Raye was a Mary Sue. Two important little facts: 1) Raye's from our world. 2) Raye liked Torn before she came here. If you didn't know that, then go re-read the first few chapters. All of her arguments with Jessi that I put in have that detail in it. And I'm sorry if I sound like a bitch right now, but I don't like being accused of having a MS character when I've been trying to put in details to not do that.

... But on a better note, I HAVE JAK X! And is it just me, or does anyone else want to strangle Razer and the stupid announcer dude? I don't even remember his name, its sad. AND WHY, IN THE BLOODY SEVEN LEVELS OF HELL IS PECKER BACK! (For those of you who haven't got the game yet, I won't spoil anymore of it for you.)


	21. Don't call me babe

1SC: HA! Two updates, and both on my birthday! Go me! Yeah, anyways... I have to apologize for something I wrote last chapter. And no, it isn't that little note at the end of the chapter. At the start, I said that no one had guessed Ashelin. I looked over my reviews and saw that one, just one, person had guessed that it was Ashelin. Kiriona, I'm sorry. You get lots of cookies because I was being an idiot. Anyways, on with the new chapter!

- - - - - - - - -

Chapter 21

Don't call me babe

Daxter leaned up against the wall outside the door, trying to look cool. It wasn't working. Well, not to me, anyway. "Hey there, sweethearts! The Metal Head masher has saved the day! Oh, and I let Jak come to." He pointed over his shoulder at a sullen looking Jak.

Tess bent down and scooped him up. "Oh, my little hero!" I scooted past them before it got above the level I wanted to see. Which it was progressing to pretty damn fast. I walked over to Jak.

"I hate to say it, but I have never been so happy to see that little furball!" I laughed.

Jak grinned for a moment as well, but his grin turned to a frown. He looked me up and down for a moment, then turned to see the Shadow waving at him. He walked over. "Samos, are you alright?"

The Shadow was about to reply when Samos, the Green Eco Sage, popped out from behind the door. "What took you so long! I added six rings to my trunk waiting for you two to rescue me!" Jak looked from Samos to the Shadow and back again, his mouth open. Samos turned around quickly. "Great yakow horns! What happened to you Jak!"

Jak never did get to answer that question, because Daxter stopped cuddling with Tess and looked over at us. "Wait a minute!" He squirmed out of Tess' grip. "You're you! I mean, the other you! I mean... you know what I mean."

The Shadow walked over to us now. "Yes, it appears I have an older time twin. Great grass grubs, I can't believe what a cranky old log I've become!"

Dax looked ready to faint. "Two Samos the Sages?" He ran behind Jak's leg. "Aaack! Jak, they're multiplying!" I chuckled quietly.

Neither of the Samos' seemed to hear Daxter, they were to busy arguing with each other. "We need to find the Kid, pronto!" Samos yelled.

The Shadow glared at him. "What are you talking about, you old growth? The Kid already opened the Tomb! Our top priority should be to disrupt the Baron's forces!"

"Oh, look who thinks they've sprouted. If you were half as wise as I am, you'd know that the proper course of action is to find the Kid!"

"Listen you old, dried up leaf, I run this operation, and I say we go after the Baron's forces!"

Daxter finally crawled out from behind Jak's leg and jumped between the two Samos'. "Do we have to separate you two?"

Jak and I turned around to see the Warp Gate behind us shimmering. Jak pointed at it. "Vin's activated the Warp Gate. We need to get out of here now." He ordered. Nobody argued and we went through the gate.

- -

As soon as we went through, Samos and the Shadow went back to the Underground hideout, arguing the whole way, and Tess had to get back to the Hip Hog. After thanking Vin, Jak and I left, Daxter had gone with Tess. As soon as the doors shut, Jak turned to me. "Raye, what happened?"

I blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"While you were in the prison. You smell like blood and eco."

As creeped out as I was by the fact that he could _smell _that, I was more ashamed for some reason. I looked away. "Praxis and Errol strapped me onto the dark eco ray." I whispered.

I looked at Jak to see his eyes turn black for a moment. "They are going to die more slowly and painfully than I first imagined." As much as I wanted to hug Jak right then, I didn't. Two reasons: 1) I'm me, and I don't hug people a lot and 2) At that moment, it felt like Jak was _blaming_ _me_ for getting caught.

"We should probably get Daxter." I said, changing the subject quickly and walking towards the Hip Hog. I heard Jak run up behind me.

"Yeah. We don't need him getting drunk. Again."

- -

When we walked into the Hip Hog, Krew was up near the ceiling sleeping. Dax jumped up on Jak's shoulder. "At least he doesn't snore." He muttered. I chuckled quietly. I wasn't sure if Daxter was being serious or sarcastic. Knowing Daxter, though, it could've been both.

Sig motioned us over to the booth he was sitting in. We slid in as he took a long swig out of his cup. "You three are alright, and since the boss is out of it right now, I'm gonna give it to you straight. I've been Krew's heavy for years, and I've done some things I'm not to proud of, but this time I think Krew's gotten himself, and us, into something really nasty. I'm thinking of getting out." He looked away as he said that last part, like he was ashamed to admit it.

Dax jumped off of Jak's shoulder. "Ohh... Sig's beginning to like us, guys! C'mere ya' big lug! Hugs for everyone!" He yelled loudly.

Sig bent over the table. "Knock it off! I think Krew's trying to..." He looked up at Krew, who was beginning to stir. "Shh... he's waking up."

"Nice one loudmouth!" I hissed in Daxter's ear.

He waved me off. "Relaaax... watch me butter up bun boy." He jumped down from the table and looked up at Krew. "Hey there, stuffed crust! How's it feel to be floating at the top of the food chain?" All three of us shook our heads. There was no way to stop him now. "Whoooo... Krew-meister... have you been exercising? You're looking good! You are definantly... living large." I rested my head on my arms, laughing silently. Jak was shaking his head still, but had a small grin on his face. "And... those legs... they're so... ah... chiseled."

Krew finally cut Daxter off when he looked at us. "I need you two, and the talking rodent, to escort three of my boys down into the Sewers and visit that statue again. I've heard that Mar's cheeky face may hold another secret, and I want you to see if the rumors are true, eh?" Jak slid out of the booth as Krew finished talking. "Make sure all three of my boys get to the statue and they'll do the rest, hmmmmn?" Both of us nodded slightly and left, but not before I took another look over my shoulder at Sig, who was now deep in thought.

- -

Jak and I reached the Sewer entrance on foot, we weren't so tired as to not be able to walk, and I pulled out my Blaster. Jak raised an eyebrow. "These guys work for Krew. I trust them about as far as I can throw a Metal Head." He nodded and pulled out his own gun as the door slid open.

As we stepped off the lift, I saw the one person I didn't want to see. Jinx. Don't get me wrong, I have a fetish for explosives, but Jinx took it a bit to far. "Listen up blondie. Krew said you'd get us all the way to the statue. I've got fifty kilos of explosives strapped to me, and I don't think any of us want it blowing up before we get to where it needs to be." Jak glared at him and nodded, walking off with Mog and the other guy(I don't remember his name) behind him. I took up the rear, right behind Jinx. He looked over his shoulder at me. "Don't be shy if you get scared, babe."

I glared at him. "Don't call me babe." I tightened my grip on the Blaster trigger. He chuckled and walked off, and I just glared at the back of his head.

As we stepped into the next room after the lift, I enjoyed Jinx's scream of terror. "Aaah! Metal Heads! Shoot 'em, shoot 'em!"

We got through the rest of the Sewer's easily, except for the one time where Dax got his tail singed by the "beams of death," and finally reached the last door. Jinx pulled more bombs off of his back and placed them by the blocked up door. "Stand back, I'm gonna detonate this one remotely." Jak and I ducked down near the wall. Someone, I won't say any names, almost got his idiot blonde-green haired head blown off last time Jinx planted the charges to blow up rubble. After the dust settled, a scratching noise reached everyone's ears. "You hear that?"

"Sounds like I've got gas..." Mog said absentmindedly.

We all looked up to the ceiling. "AGH! The ceiling's crawling!"

"Hate to break it to you, but that ain't the ceiling!" I yelled, taking aim and shooting one of the spider-things off the ceiling. It fell to the floor, its neck breaking in the process.

"GAAH! Metal Heads everywhere!" Jinx yelled, backing up into the wall.

"It's a trap!" Mog yelled, just as scared.

Jak and I backed into each other, bullets flying from our Blasters and into the Metal Heads. "I'm almost out of ammo!"

"I know, so am I!" Jak yelled. A second later, both guns were empty and the sound of clicking triggers is what we were greeted with.

I switched over to my Vulcan Fury mod, then checked my bullets. Yep, still full. I lifted it up as high as I could, which wasn't very, and fired. "Eat eco, you metal plated freaks of nature!" I laughed, holding down the trigger and turning the barrel in both directions. Jak had his hands full keeping the few that had dropped behind us off of Jinx and crew.

The siren-like noise of the Vulcans ended as the last of the Metal Heads disappeared in a flash of eco sparks. Dax and I went around picking up Skull Gems, with me getting a bit more than him, my bag was bigger than his arms, then we ran after Jak.

We ran in just as Jinx was walking towards the statue. "Ooh, pretty statue." Mog muttered.

Dax started to walk forward to get a better look at the statue, but Jak stopped him. "Stand back. We're professionals." Jinx told him. He and his lackeys took the explosives off their back and planted them at the statue's feet. "Alright boys, let's blow this sucker sky high."

Jak looked confused. "Wait! Who told you to...? NO!"

"Jak, get down!" I yelled, cutting him off and ducking myself. Lot of good it did me, I still smacked into the wall, bruising my shoulder at the least. Jak got the worst of it, slamming full force into the wall on his back. Daxter was small enough to avoid the shockwave by pressing himself against the floor.

As I helped Jak up, Mar's head landed at our feet. Jak glared at Jinx as he climbed through the rubble. "Hee hee hee. Ah, there's what we're looking for, the Heart of Mar Gem." He scooped it up. "Thanks for the escort buddy. We'll take this back to Krew!" He stopped at the top of the stairs. "See ya' later... sweet cheeks." He chuckled and walked off.

"Can I kill him?"

SC: And that, my faithful readers, is Chapter 20. And yes, I say faithful because if you're still reading this, you're very loyal.

Puck: I'll say.

SC: Hey, you're my muse. They don't like it, it's your fault. Anyways, read and review people! Flame if you must, but I'll probably ignore it. (Walks away humming happy birthday loudly.)


	22. A Five Step Plan for Blowing Shit Up

1SC: Alright, chapter 22 is up! Some people are probably going to flame me for this chapter, but I don't really give a care. There is a paragraph or two completely about Raye, but you'll see why. If you want to flame me for it, go ahead. There, now I've given you all permission. And if anyone knows what the rest of the Dark Jak powers that you get from the Oracle are in this game, please tell me. I kinda need 'em.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Raye and Dark Raye.

Guide:

'Blah'-Thinking

'_Blah.'-_Untransformed Dark Jak/Raye speaking

"Blah"-Regular speaking

"_Blah"-_ Transformed Dark Jak/Raye speech OR The Oracle

--

Chapter 22

A Five-Step Plan for Blowing Shit Up

As Jak and I walked out of the Sewers, both of us were still mad about Jinx blowing up Mar's statue. "I can't believe he did that." I muttered. "That was probably the last likeness of Mar in the city."

Jak was silent. Dax waved a hand in front of his face. "Anybody home? Hello?"

"Stop that." He ordered.

"Sheesh. Soorrry." I rolled my eyes and ignored them, then walked over to the poster that read Class 2 Races.

"Jak? This poster says these Class 2 Races are today."

He walked over. "What?" He read the poster. "It does. Come on, we'd better get to the Garage."

--

As we walked into the Garage, we ran into Errol walking out, not literally thank God. "Well, if it isn't the dark eco freaks!"

"What's wrong, Errol? Still mad that a couple of 'dark eco freaks' outsmarted you and escaped the Baron's prison _twice_?" I asked mockingly. His glare darkened.

Jak hushed me with a look. "Where's Keira?" He demanded.

Errol smirked. "Don't worry, I'm keeping a close eye on her." Jak looked ready to strangle him. Errol didn't give him the chance, for he started circling him like a shark and examining him. "You're the talk of the town, Jak. You give the people hope... how pathetic. I would've enjoyed killing you in prison, but now it'll be so much more fun to take you out on the track, in front of the entire city!" He struck a triumphant pose. "I can hear the roar of the crowd now... as everyone sees their hope die."

Jak started towards him like he was going to punch him or worse. "Sonofa-" He stopped as Keira walked in with Samos.

"It's good to have you back daddy." She smiled down at her father.

Samos nodded. "Yes, it's nice to be free again."

Errol leaned over, close to Jak's ear. "You know, Keira _loves_ a winner. Someday she'll be _my_ mechanic."

Jak glared at him. "Stay away from her."

Errol walked out laughing. Keira sighed as he left. "Errol's the best racer I've ever seen."

"He's not what you think." Jak muttered, turning his face away.

"And you're a good judge of character! HA! Look at you!" Keira didn't see the pained look on Jak's face and continued. "People say you get angry and... change. Besides, the Jak _I_ know wouldn't be working for a guy like Krew!

Jak turned to face her, the pain replaced by anger. "I need Krew's connections to fight the Baron. Without my... you know what? Do it your way, and I'll do it mine!" He stomped out.

Dax looked nervous. "Ah, Jak, buddy? Eh heh... where are you going there, pal? Jak? Jak!"

We all looked up as the announcer's voice came over the speaker. "Attention all drivers. The Class 2 Races will begin soon."

Daxter looked over at Keira. "Now what are we gonna do!"

Keira thought for a moment. "You'll have to drive for the team, Dax. We need this win to qualify for the final championship!"

"Wait, why can't Raye drive?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, you should drive Dax. You've seen my driving skills. I'd crash in the first lap. You race, I'll go find Jak." I turned and ran out of the Garage, shivering as I went down the steps. The look Keira gave me when Dax suggested I race... I shivered again. I think I would've preferred to take on Dark Jak. Weaponless _and_ drained of eco. I looked around and spotted a flash of green-blonde hair. 'Jak...' I thought, running after him.

"Jak! Jak, will you _please_ stop and listen to me!" I yelled. He stopped and turned around, his arms crossed. "Look, we need to get back to the Stadium. Before you ask why, because of you foolishly walking out 'cause of your damn temper, sorry but it's the truth, Daxter's having to race in your place. The _least_ you could do is go support him."

Jak sighed. "I guess you right. Okay, let's go."

--

Jak and I found seats in the Stadium easily, and the racers were just getting on the line. I saw a flash of orange and pointed. "Look, there's Daxter!"

Jak nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah. He looks kind of nervous."

"Will you just enjoy yourself and support your friend?" I sighed. He just laughed. "I'll take that as a 'maybe.' Look, it's starting."

The robot that controlled the lights flew down. The three starting dings were barely heard over the roar of engines starting up and driver's racing off. "Come on Daxter!" I cheered above the roar of the crowd.

On the last lap of the race, Daxter was neck-to-neck with one of the other racers for first. We were watching him on the screen overhead because he had gone into the tunnel. The other driver had started slamming into Daxter's zoomer, trying to shove him into one of the holes. "Use your turbos, Dax..." Jak muttered next to me.

As if he could hear him, the ottsel hit his turbo boost just as the man tried to ram him again, consequently sending himself into the wall, and Dax far ahead of the competition. He crossed the finish line five seconds before the other racers.

"YEESSSS!" I punched my hand into the air. "That was awesome!"

Jak gave a small smile. "Yeah, he did okay."

I rolled my eyes. "He's one-third your size, and that's just about the time you got. Saying he did 'okay' is putting it lightly. He did _great_! Let's go congratulate him." I slid through the dispersing crowd to the exit.

As Jak and I walked into the Garage, we heard Daxter's loudmouth. "Hey! When do I get the winner's big kiss?"

I heard Tess laugh. "Maybe later... if you're a good boy." We walked in as she finished scratching Daxter behind the ears.

The furball turned to us. "Hey there." He looked a little nervous. "We, ah, showed those Class 2 losers a thing of two, huh?" He jumped down and walked over to Jak.

Jak knelt down. "I saw. You drifted a little high in the turns a few times, but you hung in there. I'm proud of you Dax."

I nodded. "So am I. You showed that idiot in the last lap not to mess with you! Slammed himself right into the wall. You did an awesome job, Dax."

Daxter's eyes were shining with pride. "Really?"

Jak mussed up his fur. "Yeah. You did great!"

He shook his head. "No, _we_ did great! Right partner?" He jumped up to Jak's shoulder, looking from Jak to Keira. The two elves looked at each other briefly then turned away, and I followed Jak out.

"Bye Tess." I called. She nodded and waved.

--

By the time we got back to the Port, Jak's disposition hadn't improved much. Daxter had moved to my shoulder, mainly because Jak had threatened to strangle him if he didn't quit bothering him. "I wish he'd cheer up a bit." I muttered. "Being in the same room as Torn isn't this boring."

Daxter stifled a yawn. "Speaking of the Tattooed Wonder, shouldn't we check in at the Underground? Or maybe just take a nap?"

I nodded. "Probably." I jogged up to Jak. "Hey, let's head back to the Underground. We're all bushed."

Jak nodded. "Yeah, okay."

We stole a zoomer from a passing citizen and, after telling Dax he couldn't drive, twice(!), we took off for the Underground.

3rd Person

As they flew through the strangely quiet Industrial Section, Jak got a little suspicious. Mainly because the words 'quiet' and 'Industrial Section' didn't belong in the same sentence. Especially right next to each other. 'There's no one around...' Buzzer's went off in his skull as a portion of the wall slid open and a KG Blast Bot, all new and shiny looking, clomped out loudly, its lasers scanning the area. "What the hell...?" He swerved the zoomer roughly to avoid the robot, throwing off all the passengers, including Jak himself. "Well, now we know why there's no one around." He muttered, shoving himself up.

"We need to blow that up." Daxter stated, staring openmouthed at the gargantuan creature as it slowly stomped off, leaving depressions in the pavement from its weight.

"Thank you, Daxter/Captain Obvious." Both elves said at once. Take a guess who said what.

Jak looked at the Blast Bot. "How do you blow up that..._thing_?"

"It's a five step plan. Step one: distract it." Raye pulled out her Blaster. "And how do we distract things?"

Jak grinned. This involved shooting things. And he _liked _to shoot things. (Puck: Now who's Captain Obvious? me: Shut up and keep reading.) He switched to his own Blaster and aimed, pulling the trigger five times in continuous succession. All five hit the body of the Bot, and its head turned around. It paused to consider the two elves before stomping towards them.

Daxter gulped. "I think we ah... 'distracted' it. What's step two?"

"Step two? Stay out of its way. Three is to pump that thing full of eco bullets." She switched to the Vulcan Fury. Triggers were pulled and two streams of bullets ate away at the metal plating covering the walking death machine.

"It's not stooppping!" Daxter yelled, dragging out the last word as Jak rolled to the side and dodged an incoming set of electricity powered lasers.

"We can see that!" They both yelled at him.

Suddenly, the Blast Bot stopped and started starting tossing out bombs. "Step four?" Jak questioned, pointing at the bomb spewing bot.

Raye nodded. "Kick those bombs back at it." Actually, it was more of a _throwing_ thing than a _kicking_ thing, because the bombs were heavy. Which figures, because the KG's made everything heavier than it needed to be. Jak and Raye were staring at a prime example.

After the bombs were gone, because they had just exploded on the Blast Bot that they had been shot out of, said robot was smoking and its metal plating was dented and falling off. Jak looked over at Raye as its knees bent and it started beeping. "Raye, what's step five?"

She stepped back hesitantly. "Step five would be to run away and try not to get hit by the explosion.(a/n: Wow, it was actually five steps. I was expecting to need another one or two.)"

Daxter shrunk down on Jak's shoulder. "You know, I think I like this step the best."

"How long does it usually take for something this big to explode?" Jak asked, taking two steps back.

"If it was built by the Krimzon Guard, not long." Raye replied, turning and running for the nearest cover, which was the parked zoomer. Jak leaped behind it not soon after, barely missing the blast.

"Those things had to be targeted at something." Daxter gasped, peeking over the zoomer at the wreckage.

Jak leaned back against the zoomer. "The hideout. They had to be going there."

Raye dropped her head to her chest. "Perfect. Just freaking perfect. There's no way we can get there in time. We don't even know where..." She cut off as Jak's talkbox flew up.

It was the Shadow._"Jak, Raye, the Baron has manufactured some new Blast Bots and-"_

"We know, we just ran into one." Jak muttered.

_"You WHAT!"_ That was Samos. The other Samos. The sagely one. _"Are you all right?"_

"Yeah, I think so." Raye said, standing and checking for injuries. "I'm good."

"So am I." Jak added after doing the same. "How many of these things did he make?"

Raye's talkbox flew out as the question left his lips. _"Four. Three, now that one of them is destroyed."_ Vin said. (a/n: I'm really sorry if I got the number wrong, but I can't remember how many Blast Bots there were.)

"Vin, you have really good timing. Where are they?"

_"All over the place!"_ He cried. _"I'll put their locations in your maps."_

"Please and thank you." Raye chirped. The maps started blipping loudly. "Anyway you can-" The beeping stopped. "Okay, see, now you're just showing off."

_"Am not."_

Jak stopped the coming response from the girl. "Argue later, kill robots now."

"Right." Raye got up and headed towards the one of the blips. "See ya' back at headquarters!"

Daxter sighed as Jak took off in the opposite direction. "Whatever happened to saying goodbye like normal people?"

--

Jak wiped his forehead off as he surveyed the damage of the explosion of the last Blast Bot he had just destroyed. Killing them was a lot harder when you didn't have two people to distract it. His talkbox flew up. _"Jak, I may need your help."_ Raye's voice was barely heard above the sound of shooting in the background and the usual static of the talkboxes.

"Raye, what's going on?"

_"Umm... I don't really have the time to explain. But there was one more Blast Bot than Vin's scan found and-" _There was a yelp. _"Just get down here! I'm back in the Industrial Section."_

Jak looked over at Daxter, who sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this, but... Let's go save Raye."

--

As Jak looked neared the Industrial Section, he heard the familiar sounds of gunfire. Luckily, it wasn't Krimzon Guard gunfire. He ran towards the sound to see a horrific battle scene.

The area was completely destroyed, bullet holes and burn marks littering the structures and the ground around them. Chunks of the cement were missing everywhere, only to be found in the form of rubble elsewhere. And in the middle of all of this was the most gargantuan Blast Bot Jak had ever seen. It was three times as big as the others, with just as much armor and weapons packed on it. He looked around frantically for Raye and saw her crouched down on one of the pathways.

He edged up it carefully, making sure he didn't draw the bot's attention to him. He kneeled down next to the raven haired elf. "Raye, what the hell is that?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. It looks like an upgraded model of the littler ones we fought. I've fired everything I've got at it and it didn't leave a scratch."

Daxter gulped. "Is that what all the bullet holes are from?"

She nodded. "The armor deflects all of it. Nothing's working. And I'm not stupid enough to get in range for the Scatter Gun to work." Her frown deepened. "But that isn't even the worst part. I don't think this one is after the hideout. I think this one was programmed to go after us."

Jak groaned. "Perfect. This is just what I needed today."

"Oh, but wait. It gets better."

"Joy."

"I tried blasting that thing with some dark eco. It was for a second, but then it just started shooting again. Praxis is testing us."

Jak growled. "I never was very good at tests. There's got to be another way to take this thing down."

Raye gestured to the robot, which was scanning the area for them still. "You wanna try shooting that thing? Go right on ahead. I'll be up here with an 'I told you so' waiting for you when you get back."

"Very funny. Well, we might as well get it over with." He stood up and closed his eyes.

"Don't sound so excite-" Raye cut off, doubling over. Jak's transformation stopped.

"Raye what's wrong?"

Her pupil's expanded, consuming her eyes with black. "Get... back. Something's... wrong." Raye's skin paled along with her hair as horns sprouted from her head and claws from her fingers. But it wasn't over. Purple lightning continued crackling around her body as another pair of horns, only an inch or two long, grew outside the longer ones. The claws grew out another two inches before stopping, the edges gleaming. There were several small pops as a row of spines rose from the base of her neck to her tail-bone, and the sound of bones shifting as two bat-like wings unfolded from her shoulders.

Jak and Daxter stared in shock. "Raye? Are you alright?" Dax asked hesitantly.

Raye stared at her hands numbly. "I... I don't know..." As the words left her mouth, her alter-ego's persona took over, and an evil grin, revealing lengthened canines. _"Actually... I don't think I've ever been better."_

Jak, who finally broke out of his shock, finished transforming. It was mainly in case Dark Raye went berserk and decided to test her new found strength on him. _"Just because you look different doesn't mean you're better then you were."_

She shrugged. _"We can test that theory out later. I suggest that we destroy that thing now. No doubt it can lock on to dark eco."_

As she said that, the Blast Bot turned around and something that resembled a shrunken down turret gun rose from its head. _"Oh, so it has toys. I figured it would just bore us to death."_

_"Cut the sarcasm and get moving."_ Dark Raye snapped, flapping once and gliding over to hover above the Bot's head. The gun swivelled wildly trying to locate her. _"Haha, it can't look up."_ The gun paused for a moment and, shifting its gears, pointed up. _"Perhaps I spoke to soon..."_ She dived out of the way, behind the gun, and dug her claws into it, ripping it out. _"Mind hurrying up? I doubt this is the only weapon it had."_

Dark Jak leaped to the ground, running full speed at the giant legs. _"Quit whining."_ He sent a shot of eco from his palm and cut through one of the legs. The bot fell to the ground, the remaining three legs thrashing wildly. Raye landed next to him.

_"Mind not trying to impale me on one of those things next time?"_

Jak smirked. _"Try getting out of the way faster."_

Daxter shook his head. 'They're like siblings, only worse because they have the ability to kill each other.' He jumped off Jak's shoulder, where he'd been cowering for the past few minutes, and scrambled through the hole Raye had made. Seconds later, the bot stopped moving. "You two should probably blow that thing up so the Baron doesn't haul it back to the Palace and fix it."

The two creatures looked at each other. _"Maybe we should let him fix it."_ Jak suggested. _"See if it can actually give us a challenge."_

Daxter jumped up onto Jak's shoulder. "No. Bad idea. He fixes it, he'll make it eco proof. I found a camera connection in there. He was watching the entire time."

_"Is it still running?"_ Raye asked.

"No. Why?"

_"I was going to flip him off. Oh well. Let's just blow it up." _A ball of eco appeared in her hand as well as Jak's.

_"Say bye-bye to your robot, Praxis."_ Jak cackled, throwing the eco.

--

Back at the Palace, Praxis watched the tape with anger. Daxter was right, the camera had been broken, but another camera was still running. "Errol, did you see that?"

His commander looked over at him. "What, sir?"

"That creature... the eco treatments simply made it stronger!" He slammed his fist down on the arm of his throne.

"We couldn't have predicted that, sir. Dark eco is a very... unpredictable substance."

He turned to glare at the redhead. "Don't you think I know that? I knew it would have some effect on the girl's body, but I never imagined it would make her strong enough to beat my upgraded Blast Bot. Did any of them reach the Underground?"

Errol grimaced. Why did he always have to be the bearer of bad news? "No sir. They were all destroyed before reaching their destination."

"I see." Errol blinked. No explosion? That was unusual. "Any civilian casualties?"

"No sir. All were evacuated into Upper Haven." (a/n: That's what I'm calling the fancier part of Haven City. You know, the part with the tomb in it. Yeah, that part. If anyone's got a better name, or knows the real one, I'm open to suggestions.) Errol said.

"Good. Inform the citizens that the Dark eco creatures have been spotted again, and that they are working for the Underground."

Now Errol was downright confused. "Sir, what good will that do?"

Praxis grinned. "The people are terrified from the stories that have been spread. If they find out that the Underground is harboring two very dangerous eco freaks, they'll turn against it."

Errol grinned. "I see. Very good thinking, Baron Praxis."

--

As the last of the eco drained out of him, Dark Jak changed back to normal. He looked over at Raye, who had a strained look on her face. "Raye, it's over. Change back."

"I... I can't. I'm trying but my body won't let me!" It was very weird to hear Raye's voice coming out of Dark Raye's mouth, but Jak wasn't exactly focused on that.

"What do you mean you can't change back?"

"What do you think I mean! I mean I can't get back to normal!"

Daxter coughed slightly, making them both look at him. "Maybe we should go see the Oracle."

Raye blinked. "Dax that is... actually a good idea."

"Thank yo- HEY!"

Jak crossed his arms. "How are we going to get there without being noticed? You aren't very inconspicuous."

"Simple. You take a zoomer, I fly." She pointed to the wings on her back. "These have to be good for something, right?"

--

Jak arrived at the Oracle's hut as Raye landed. "I love flying. It's so much fun. By the way, even if we had walked here, no one would've seen us. They're all sitting up near the Stadium. Must've been an evacuation we didn't hear about."

"The guards must have done it after the race. Or during it. No one inside the Stadium would have been able to hear it."

Daxter rapped them both on the head, being careful to avoid Raye's horns. "Can we just get demon girl changed back to normal before discussing how we didn't hear about this?"

Both elves nodded and walked inside of the hut.

--

SC: I really shouldn't end it here, seeing as cliffies are evil, so... I'm not going to! On with the story!

Puck: You can be a real ama sometimes.

--

--

--

--

As they walked through the door, the Oracle awoke. "_Greetings, Dark Ones_."

Jak spoke up first. "Uh, we have a bit of a problem."

"_Yes. You cannot revert to your true form, can you child_?"

Raye shook her head. "No, I can't. I think it's because my Dark side got more powerful. I don't think I can control it anymore."

"_It is not control that you need, but a compromise. You must speak with your other self and make peace with it._"

"How? The only time I've ever hear her is when she's about to come out." She paused. "Well, and two other times. The first time was when we first came hear, and the second was at the Pumping Station when we met Ashelin."

"_I will make it so you can speak to her. Are you prepared?_"

There was a moment of silence. "If it'll get me back to normal, sure." The Oracle's eyes glowed brighter, and Raye collapsed to the ground. The horns, spikes, and claws retracted back into her body as the wings disappeared in a flash of eco.

"_Dark One, take her body somewhere that she will be safe until she awakens. I do not know how long it will take for her and her darkness to be at peace with each other, and until then, she will be at risk not only from outside forces, but from her own mind as well._" Jak nodded and picked Raye up, carrying her out.

--

SC: Okay, this time the chapter's done for real. I'd really like some feedback on the new Dark Raye. And before anyone asks, she just went through more eco treatments. If Jak had gone through one more as well, his Dark would look like that in my story too. But he was in a stinky old tomb, so he didn't. Also, I'd like to know if I did okay on the section with Praxis and Errol. I really don't know why I put them in there...

Puck: (Clears throat)

SC: Oh yeah. And yes, Dark Jak and Dark Raye can talk. Don't ask why, but I felt like making them be able to talk. It made the battle with the giant Blast Bot more fun. Anyway, Read and Review. Ja ne!


	23. Worst Case of Schizophrenia Ever

1Disclaimer: I don't own Jak and Daxter.

Chapter 23

Worst Case of Schizophrenia Ever

Jak and Daxter walked out of the Oracle's hut, Raye limp in Jak's arms. "You know, I'd usually make some stupid joke here, but seeing as the situation is getting worse by the nanosecond, I'll just suggest we get back to the Underground before people start coming back." Daxter said. Jak nodded and grabbed the zoomer he had 'parked' outside and climbed on, setting Raye in front of him so she didn't fall.

--

Torn barely looked up as the door opened and footsteps came down the stairs. In fact he probably wouldn't of even known that it was Jak that had come, with an unconcious Raye in his arms nonetheless, if Samos(the sage) hadn't exclaimed, "Great grass grubs, what happened to her?" He looked up as Jak set the dark haired girl down on one of the cots.

Jak sighed. This was going to take a while...

"I see." Samos said after Jak had finished, frowning a bit. "So the Oracle sent Raye into her own mind to speak with her darker half. That was very risky move."

Jak sat down on the bed next to Raye's. "What I don't get is that she immediately changed back."

Samos nodded. "I believe that the blast was powerful enough to make Raye herself into the unconscious state she is in now and to shock her mind, along with her dark side, into relinquishing control of her body, allowing her to transform back to normal."

Daxter nodded. "Ookaay... I have no idea what any of that meant."

"Well too bad, because I'm not repeating myself."

--

_"Hey! Wake up call, princess!"_

_Raye opened her eyes to see her darker half standing over her. "What the-! Dark?"_

_"My, aren't we original?" She asked mockingly. "I have a name."_

_"Well then, what is it?" Raye asked._

_Dark paused. "Ambika. Hindu for goddess of destruction." _

_"Fine then." Raye stood up. "Where are we?"_

_"Somewhere in your head."_

_"You aren't much help." Raye muttered, standing up. "How did I end up here?"_

_A low growl issued from Dark's, Ambika's, throat. "That goddamned Oracle zapped me with Light eco! I lost control of my form and was forced to retreat into the recesses of our mind so I wasn't killed."_

_"Hey, if you had just given me back control in the first place this wouldn't of happened!" Raye yelled._

_"It's called survival of the fittest, Raye. The strong survive, the weak don't. If you didn't have enough strength to take control, then our body should be mine!" Ambika snarled._

_Raye's hands balled into fists. "This is MY body! And I say I AM strong enough!" Her fist swung up and Ambika felt the uppercut hit her chin. The demon flew away from Raye and landed in a tangled heap. _

_She pushed herself up and touched her jaw. "That actually hurt. I'm surprised Raye. Attacking me was definitely something I hadn't expected." She stood up, the bruises spreading to her cheek disappearing. Raye's eyes widened. "What did you expect? I'm made of dark eco. The same eco that flows through your veins. As long it's there, I'm invincible here." She grinned evilly and held up her claws. "You, on the other hand, aren't."_

_Raye took a step back. "What are you talking about? This is my mind."_

_"Correction. This is our mind. See, I know you'd like to think that because you were here first you're the strongest, but you'd be wrong. And you've just started a war." She swiped at Raye and left three long marks in her shoulder. Raye cried out in pain and grabbed her shoulder. "Oh, and did I forget to mention you can't heal yourself?" She laughed maniacally. "Oops, my bad."_

--

Daxter was sitting on Raye's stomach when the first cuts appeared. Three of them, long and ragged, on her shoulder. "Uh, Jak?" He asked, pointing.

"What is it Dax?" The elf asked, walking over. "What the hell? Where did those come from?"

"Don't look at me!" Dax defended, holding up his tiny claws.

Samos came over and shoved Jak out of the way. "Oh dear." He muttered, examining the wounds.

"What is it?" Jak asked.

Samos sighed. "It seems that instead of making peace with her darker half as the Oracle said to, Raye has started to fight it."

"So those cuts..."

"Claw marks. I can provide her of some assistance by healing her wounds while she fights, but not forever." His hand held above Raye's shoulder, he sent green eco spiraling into her body. The cuts sealed themselves.

Daxter raised his hand/paw. "Um... what happens if our Raye doesn't win?"

Samos gave Daxter a severe look. "I'd rather not say." Daxter gulped nervously.

--

_Raye was not doing well. For every blow she landed on Ambika, the demon landed two on Raye. The wounds were healing quickly, thanks to Samos, but Raye knew he couldn't keep that up forever. She stumbled, over god only knows what, as there was nothing to stumble over but herself, as she ran forward to once again attempt to floor her opponent. Ambika took the opportunity to press her claws to Raye's throat. "Who were you saying was strong?"_

_Raye smirked. Then, to Ambika's surprise, she _laughed_. "What are you going to do? Kill me? What will happen then?"_

_"I'll take over."_

_"And do what? You think Jak will just let you take over and use my body to exact revenge on Praxis and Errol?" She paused to let it sink in. "And what if your little takeover fails? What will happen to you if my body starts to reject you? I don't have enough eco in my blood to keep your form up forever. And to many eco related attacks in my body... well, you saw what happened to the prisoners that died of eco poisoning."_

_Ambika snarled in rage and pulled away. Raye let out a small sigh of relief. "Fine. You win for now. What do you want?"_

_Raye pulled herself off her knees. "A truce." There was a little snort of laughter. "I'm serious. Neither of us will survive long if we can't come to an agreement."_

_"I suppose your right. What are your terms?"_

_"First off, don't try to take over unless we're in danger, or Jak's in danger, or Dax, or someone else. And you have to give me back control, body _and_ mind, when we're out of danger."_

_Ambika growled. "Fine."_

_"Second, we can't kill Kor, Praxis, or Errol."_

_This was not fine. "Why the hell not!" Ambika roared._

_"Because we're screwing up the storyline enough as it is. This IS still a video game, remember? If we kill Kor, who knows what Praxis and Errol will do! Besides, Jak has to beat Errol, Errol has to crash into the eco barrels, and Errol has to die that way. And Kor has to kill Praxis. It's how the story goes."_

_"All right, all right, I get it. Stupid goddamned fucking storylines."_

_"Trust me, I know how you feel." Raye assured her. "And third, no matter how bad we want to, we can't tell anyone what's going to happen. Jak's suspicious enough as is, and Daxter's starting to wonder as well."_

_"But making bets about where a Metal Head's going to pop up is perfectly fine?" Ambika asked, smirking. _

_"Of course. What's the fun in knowing everything if we can't enjoy it?"_

_Ambika laughed at that. "I think I'm starting to like you, Raye."_

_"Gee, I'm touched." Raye said sarcastically. "You have anything to add?"_

_"Yes, actually. First off, you'll have to let me out more than just when you're in danger. I won't go nuts whenever we see a Metal Head or Guard, but you need to empty the eco in your system out every so often, or I'll come out of my own accord, more than likely somewhere I won't be helpful. Like in the middle of the Bazaar."_

_Raye thought about that scenario and shuddered. "Okay, fine."_

_"Second, if Jak, Dark Jak I mean, picks a fight with me, I will fight back. I won't instigate them, though."_

_"Good, that will save us a lot of trouble."_

_"By the way, we should find out his name as well. Calling him Dark all the time is stupid."_

_"I'll keep that in mind to tell to Jak." She held out her hand to Ambika. "Do we have a deal?"_

_Ambika considered it for a moment before nodding and taking her hand. "Don't really have much of a choice, do I?"_

_"No." The darkness around them was clearing. "Okay, what's going on now?"_

_"Not really sure. I think you're waking up." There was silence as both of them began to fade out of each other's sight. "Raye, one more thing. I think Kor knows."_

_"Kor knows what?"_

_Ambika looked deadly serious. "That we know who he really is."_

--

Raye woke up in Underground HQ with a splitting headache. "Morning sunshine." Daxter greeted, still sitting on her stomach.

"Get off me, Dax." She mumbled, sitting up. "What happened?"

"Well, you got zapped by the bug-eyed Precursor thingy, turned back to normal, Jak and I (weelll, mainly Jak) had to carry you here, then you kind of started getting these weird cuts all over and now you're awake."

"Where's Jak?"

"Sig called him. Said to meet him at the Gun Course for something." He shrugged.

"I see." She muttered, gazing at her hand.

Daxter looked down at her hand. Completely normal. "Uh, Raye? What're you staring at?"

She blinked and looked up at the ottsel. "Nothing. Why don't we go find Jak, huh?" She threw the covers off of her and stood up, falling back against the wood as her strength wavered.

A sudden rush of energy empowered her legs and she steadied. _'Pathetic.'_

"Shut up, Ambika." She muttered to her dark side.

"What was that?"

"Nothing Dax. Let's go."

When Raye arrived at the Gun Course, she felt the energy of dark eco radiating from inside. "Good, he's still here." She muttered.

"How do you know, we haven't even been inside yet." Daxter complained. She ignored him and walked in.

"Well speak of the devil!" Sig laughed. "Jak just said you were coming, cherry."

Daxter looked from Jak to Raye. "What are you two, psychic?"

Jak just chuckled. "I see you've found a new place to perch, Dax. That'll give my shoulder a rest."

"Oh no he hasn't." Raye lifted the Ottsel off her shoulder and stuck him back on Jak's. "So, what, were you two having a party in here without us? Cause if you want to be alone, I'll take Dax and leave so you two can-" She stopped as Jak yanked her ear, hard.

"Very funny, remind me not to let you hang around Daxter by yourself anymore."

"Christ, I was just kidding." She muttered before turning to Sig. "So, what did you need?"

Sig grinned. "At least someone's getting to the point. I figured you two might need a pair of these since you're certified Wastelanders. Well, almost anyways." He added as an afterthought, pulling out a pair of gun mods.

Jak, Raye, and Daxter's eyes widened, and Raye gasped, "Sig, are those-"

"Those are Peacemaker mods!" Daxter cried. Raye glared.

Sig chuckled. "Yep, thought you might like to test 'em out here at the course before you use 'em in the field."

Raye hugged the elf. "Sig, you are so awesome! I'm going first!" She cried, jumping off and running towards the doors, snapping the mod on her morph gun.

"Why do you get to go first?" Jak asked, holding the gun up to firing position to see how it felt.

"Ladies first, duh."

Jak smirked. "Raye, I don't think you qualify as a lady."

"What's that supposed to mean!"

He shook his head. "You can do a roundhouse kick hard enough to snap a Metal Head's neck, you beat me in the Blaster course, and you have enough power to take down a building floating around inside your bloodstream. I could go on, but it would take a while."

"Huh. I see your point. But I'm still going first 'cause I'm already at the door, so there.." She walked through the open doors and they _swooshed_ shut behind her.

--

Jak laughed as the left the Course with Sig. "Raye, you blew up _at least _17 civilian targets."

She growled. "I did not! Sig, help me out here."

"Sorry, but I'm with Jak on this one. You hit quite a few of the wrong targets, cherry."

"Well it is not my fault that the Peace Maker is a multiple target gun and it doesn't know friend from foe." She muttered, pouting. Jak sniggered (yes, it is a word) behind his hand. "Oh, that's real mature." She muttered as she walked in to the Hip Hog. "Hi Tess."

"Hi Raye." The blonde waved.

Daxter leaped off Jak's shoulder and climbed onto the bar with amazing speed. "Hey sugarplum. Wanna hear how I smoked Jak and Raye in the Gun Course?"

Jak scoffed behind him as Tess giggled and nodded. "Can he even hold up a gun?"

"Dunno. Should we drop a Vulcan Fury on him and see if he can pick it up?" She asked.

Jak patted her shoulder. "Let him have his fun." He walked over to the bar.

"Fine. Just keep him away from me if he gets drunk." She walked over to the Whack-a-Metal-Head game. "On second thought...Tess, give him absolutely NO alcohol. Please. For everyone's sake."

Tess giggled. "Got it."

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you." The door blew open and Raye felt herself run into someone. She turned around, ready to apologize, but the words turned to a growl in her throat. "Errol..."

"Hello Raye." He smirked, walking by her and sitting in a booth. Raye turned to see Krew float down behind Jak and Daxter, the latter of whom was getting his ears scratched by Tess.

"Hey toots, get back to work!" He growled.

"She is working!" Daxter yelled, jumping up to face Krew. Tess shook her head no frantically behind him.

"Quiet you! Or you'll become another trophy on these walls!" Krew threatened.

Raye found her voice. "Back off Krew. Leave him alone." She walked over, standing between Krew and Daxter He glared at her before turning to Jak.

"Jak, I have a proposition for you my boy." Jak turned around, his eyebrows raised. "Drop the Class One race. Let Errol win."

Jak narrowed his eyes as his gaze shifted from Krew to Errol and back again. "You bet against us?"

"Jak, Jak, it's just business." Krew assured him, a fake smile on his face.

The blonde turned back around, smiling evilly to himself. "Looks like you'll be losing a lot of money, Krew. Because I'm racing, and I intend to win."

Krew glared and flew up to the ceiling, fuming. "I should've had you taken care of when I had the chance, eh!"

There was a muffled thump as Errol removed his boots from the table and walked over to Jak. "You know, we don't have to wait for the race, eco-freak. I had my men set up a track for us outside. Hit every ring on the path. Miss even one, and you lose!"

Jak stood, locking glares with the commander. "You're on, Errol."

The red-haired Krimzon Guard smirked. "Good. There are Zoomers waiting outside." He turned on his heel and strode out.

Raye put a hand on Jak's arm. "Jak, are you sure this is a good idea?"

He smirked. "Don't worry, Raye. There's no way in hell I'll that son of a bitch beat me." He shook off her hand and walked outside after Errol.

Raye frowned. "That isn't what I'm worried about."

--

SC: Woohoo! I finally finished this stupid chapter! Okay, I'd really like some input on this chapter, especially on naming Dark Raye. (Dark Jak's got a name too, but I'm not telling you! Well, not yet anyway.) By the way, this may take a while for a new update. My PS2's adapter, the thing you attach it to the TV with, is screwed up, therefore, I cannot get a new chapter up until I get a new one and my step-dad can help me get it on. So if you guys want Chapter 24, someone with a scene player could check to see what the next mission that I haven't done is for me and put it in their review. I'd be really grateful. Anyway, review please!

Ja ne

SpontaneousCombustion


	24. Flying high, riding low

1SC: Okay, this is the third time I've had to retype this one chapter. Really getting annoyed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak and Daxter or any of it's characters.

--

Chapter 24

Flying high, riding low

Raye followed Jak out the door to see he had already climbed onto the Zoomer next to Errol. "Jak, please..."

"I know what I'm doing Raye." He grabbed Daxter off his shoulder. "Watch Daxter for me would you? I don't need any backseat driving this time." Raye opened her mouth to protest, but instead nodded dejectedly and held out her arm so Daxter could climb onto her shoulder. She stepped back as both men revved their engines. The lights built into the dashboard flashed green and both Zoomers sped off.

Daxter looked up at Raye's face to see that she looked incredibly worried. "Don't worry, Raye. Jak's a great driver. He'll beat Errol no problem."

The worry on her face slowly dissipated, leaving her with a calm look. Said look was ruined by the fact her eyes burned with anger... or someone else's anger. "That's not what I'm worried about Daxter." Raye turned around so fast the little Ottsel nearly fell and ran into the alley that led behind the Hip Hog. She stopped suddenly, nearly making Daxter go flying again, and closed her eyes.

"Raye? What are you doing?" Daxter asked. He glanced at the purple lightning crackling around Raye's legs and traveling up the rest of her body as her skin paled to porcelain white.

"We're following Jak. I trust Errol about as far as I can throw Krew." She said, not even opening an eye as the beginnings of horns poked through her forehead and spines ripped more holes in the back of her tank top. 'Note to self, fix that.'

Daxter rapped Raye on the head, being careful to avoid the emerging horns. "Hello, earth to Raye! You can't exactly walk through the streets like this. I'm pretty sure everyone in Haven hasn't gone blind, and you scream 'Eco Demon.' Not very inconspicuous."

Raye opened one blue-darkening-to-black eye. "We are_n't walking"_ She told him, her voice changing to Ambika's harsher one in the middle of the statement. _"Now shut up, I'm trying to concentrate."_

"Got it." He waited until the transformation was finished, for he quite liked his head firmly attached to his neck, then questioned her again. "Raye, what-"

_"It's Ambika."_

"Huh?"

She shook her head. _"My name. It's Ambika."_

"Okay. So, Ra- err... Ambika, what exactly did you mean by 'we're not walking'?"

She merely grinned, showing fangs. _"Watch and learn."_ She leaped about three feet in the air and slammed a set of black talons into the wall, shoving the other five in as far as she could reach above the first.

It suddenly dawned in Daxter's little Ottsel mind what Ambika was planning. "We're going to jump off the roof!"

_"I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell in my ear, and yes, we are."_ After a couple more pulls, Ambika turned and looked down. It wasn't a long fall persay, but it would hurt quite a bit if you tripped off and hit the ground.

"What happened to Raye's fear of heights?" Daxter asked, crouching down on her shoulder.

Ambika grinned at him, a grin that would probably make even the bravest pee their pants. _"She got over it."_ And with that statement, the dark elf jumped off the roof and into a warm updraft, lifting her straight up in the air.

Soon she was high enough to make anyone who saw her think she was a bird, albeit a big one. _'Now if I can just avoid the Palace...'_

"Hey! I see them!" Daxter yelled... right into Ambika's ear. "Oops. Sorry."

_"I'll let it slide this time."_ She looked down to see Jak and Errol racing through the Bazaar, neck to neck, neither gaining the lead without the other taking it back. Ambika growled. Even with her heightened vision, she was having trouble seeing them through the regular pollution of the city. _'We have to get closer.'_

'What if he senses us? If Jak found out we were following him...' A sudden scene of Dark Jak ripping Raye apart played through Ambika's conscious mind. She shook her head.

_'I'd never let him do that.'_ The dark elf assured her other half. _'Besides, if I even felt that Jak's eco levels were rising, I'd be out before he could lay one talon on you.'_

'That's surprisingly sweet of you.'

_'Don't start getting all emotional on me. I share this body too, remember? You die, I die. That's it.'_

'Oh.' Raye muttered.

Ambika was having a hard time admitting it, but she was actually starting to, if nothing else, respect Raye. Trying to not rip the very fabric of reality in two, even if it costed lying to the one closest to you, took a lot. She'd felt the internal struggle Raye faced every time she had seen Kor, watched her fight the urge to kill him, to stop so many things from happening. Not to mention the horrible rage and pure fury that she herself had helped to fuel when they had lost little Jak to Errol. Raye dotted on the kid like he was her own little brother, and when Errol took him... she was going to kill him, storyline or no storyline. Why? That question had been bothering her. She had complete access to Raye's memories anytime she wished, but there were some so tightly locked away that she couldn't even get to them, and she practically was Raye's mind. _'No.'_ She thought privately. _'Focus on the task at hand.'_

She glanced at Daxter. _"We're getting closer. Hold on."_ Why the hell was she being so nice today?She cleared it from her mind as she dove down another three or four feet, blinking as she cleared the lowest layer of the smog over Haven. They had cleared the Bazaar now, and were towards a sharp turn around a corner that would lead into the Main Town area. Jak shot around the turns, overtaking Errol as they flew around the fountain. Daxter cheered from Ambika's shoulder, even though Jak couldn't hear him.

As Jak's Zoomer screamed up the steps, Errol shot up behind him. Jak slowed down, barely, to turn the corner, and Errol sped up, turning sharply and barely hitting the ring, Jak not a second behind him. Dax groaned. "Can one of them hold a place for more than two seconds!"

_"Apparently not. Jak just passed Errol again."_

Once they had passed the first waterway and had entered the narrow strip leading to the next one, Jak was once again in the lead. He was coming up on a turn fast, and he obviously wasn't slowing down this time.

Errol, whose Zoomer's nose was even with Jak's tail, sped up just as Jak turned, whipped around 90 degrees, and slammed his boot into Jak's ribs. The blonde nearly fell off his speeding ride, slamming into the wall instead. Raye let out a scream of concern mixed with anger in Ambika's mind, and it was the dark elf could do to not fly down to help him._ 'Raye, calm down! Jak's fine, see?'_

And it was true. Snapping out of his daze, Jak sat back up on his Zoomer and slammed down the accelerator, speeding through the next ring and catching up to Errol, who was up ahead, laughing smugly in his own seemed victory around the next corner. Even Ambika laughed as Jak sped past Errol's Zoomer, his hand up in what could only be a very rude message to Errol. _'Raye, we have to land. I'm running out of energy, and if Jak reaches the end before us...'_

'Good point. All right, let's go.' _"We're speeding up."_

Daxter looked at her startled. "What? Why?"

_"One, it will be easier to make up a story if we're already there, and two, I said so."_ Using some of the eco she had left, Ambika flapped her wings with an increased intensity, surpassing Jak as he hopped over the bridges railing and into the water. 'Try landing on a roof.'

_'Oh, and I was just thinking of touching down in the middle of the street and exchanging pleasantries with the nearest Guard.' _Ambika replied sarcastically, landing in a tree near the Stadium.

There was a grinding noise as the spines, claws, and horns disappeared back into Raye's body and the wings simply vanished in a flash of eco, which was hidden by the trees surprisingly thick leaves. The fangs however, merely shrunk, so Raye looked a newly fledged vampire.(a/n: no, I don't know what a new vampire looks like. I'm just guessing.) 'More of Ambika's influence no doubt.' She thought as she climbed down to the lowest branch, then jumped to the ground. She felt oncoming tendrils of dark eco heading towards the area she was in, and fast. She ran over to the parked Flyer (the two seaters.) that was conveniently placed there and not more than three seconds later, Jak slammed around the corner and shot into the square, Errol a good five seconds behind him.

They both stopped about a foot away from her, and she ran over. Jak thrust his good arm into the air in a victory sign. "Oh yeah."

Errol glared. "Don't get to cocky, freak. When we race for real, I will win, and your head will be my trophy!" He slammed his mask down and did a quick 180 before speeding off in the direction they came from.

Daxter, who was still perched on my shoulder, called after him, "Ah, blow it out your ear! You were bottle fed, weren't you!"

Raye looked up at him. "Daxter, what does that have to do with anything?" And, before he could answer, she turned to Jak. "You won."

"Obviously." He winced and put a hand over his ribs.

Raye reached out a hand. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine until we reach the hideout. But you should've already known about my side, right Raye?"

"Jak, I'm not psychic."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I know. So then you weren't the huge eco source I sensed tailing me?"

_'Busted. Start talking.'_

'Shut up, you aren't helping.' Raye snapped back. "Well, it wasn't without reason! I didn't trust that Errol was going to be a good sport and play fair, so I was just making sure he didn't kill you." She crossed her arms, pouting. "Anyway, it was Ambika's idea."

"Who?"

"Ambika. She's my-"

Daxter cut in. "She's her freaky demon thing."

"She isn't a freaky demon thing!"

Jak stopped them with a hand. "Wait. It has a name?"

_'I'm not an IT!'_ "She's not an it. She's a she, and yes, she has a name."

Jak bent close to Raye's face. "Have you forgotten that these things were created to be weapons?"

"They aren't things, Jak. They have personalities. And no, I haven't. Unless you've forgotten, as of a couple days ago, I've gone through more eco treatments than you. I _know_ what Ambika was created for." The tension mounted as both of them stared the other down, scowling. Raye broke eye contact first, climbing into the Flyer. "Come on. You're in no condition to fly a Zoomer, let alone by yourself." Jak climbed off the Zoomer and nearly collapsed. "Need some help?"

"No." He snapped tersely. He walked around to the other seat slowly and pulled himself in, wincing while he did so. Daxter climbed back over to Jak's shoulder as Raye started the ignition and lifted the vehicle up into the second hover zone.

The drive back to the Hideout was silent and uncomfortable, until Daxter decided to, god forbid it, start singing. And not just any song, oh no. It was the most annoying song in the world. "Oooohhhh, I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves. Oh I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goes!" Insert three claps. Then repeat. Raye, who had been driving slowly as to not injure Jak any further, pushed the poor Flyer's engine to its limits. Jak was now more concerned about the annoying voice screeching in his ear than his side.

As they parked in the alley outside the hideout, Raye jumped out gratefully. "Thank Mar." She breathed. And, without asking whether he wanted it or not, she walked over to the other side of the Flyer and helped Jak out. He didn't protest, but she could tell he obviously resented the fact that he needed help in the first place.

After they went down the steps, Raye sat Jak down on a bed. "What happened?" Torn asked, getting up to get the bandages.

"Errol." Was all Raye said before walking to the back, where the showers were located. (a/n: I keep forgetting to write these scenes. Raye and Jak have both taken showers before this, but I never remember to write it. That would be why Raye knows where the showers are. They each take a shower while the other is asleep, so...)

Torn was suddenly very interested. "What about Errol?"

"Ask Jak." She replied. A door slammed shut and they heard water running. Torn turned to Jak and handed him the bandages.

"What happened?"

Jak glared at Torn as he pulled his shirt off. "Errol challenged me to a race."

Torn chuckled. "This oughta be good."

--

In the bathroom, Raye pulled off her tank top and examined the back. It was practically shredded. Seven or eight ragged holes had been ripped through all down the center and there were two holes that seemed to have been burned into it, right near her shoulders. She tossed it into the trash can and finished undressing, then stepped into the shower.

The water was almost at the level that would've scalded someone to death, but Raye didn't care. She needed the hot water right now. She winced as it ran over old scars and new wounds that hadn't healed yet, seeming to burn hotter as it did. She tilted her head back and let it soak her scalp, wetting the rest of her hair.

After she finished, she wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out. Glancing at the fogged up mirror, she wiped off all of the steam and stared at her reflection.

Any fat she had on her body had vanished, replaced by hard muscle. Her eyes had regained their bright blue color somehow, no longer the dark indigo they had been when she and Jak escaped prison. Her ears were still long and slim, but they had been tapered to a finer point. Her hair, now that it was down, reached past her knees. She was paler than ever, though still nowhere near close to Ambika. What startled her most though, were the scars. She knew how many there were, she could still feel the pain from them in her dreams, but they were a faint violet color now, instead of the pink or pearly white they once were. 'The dark eco is affecting my entire body.' She pulled on the new shirt she had snagged out of one of the rooms, a dark violet tank top with matching gloves that covered from her knuckles to a few inches below her shoulders, and her black pants. She picked up her boots in one hand, she hadn't had the good sense to leave them out front, and walked back out.

"Torn, do you have any scissors?"

He barely glanced up. "Yeah. Second drawer from the top in that desk."

"Thank you." She walked over and, after rummaging through the drawer for a minute, found the scissors and walked back to the bathroom, closed her fist around her hair about five inches her shoulders, and cut it off right above her hand. Tossing the access hair in the trash, she walked back out. "Bathroom's free." She told Jak, who was still shirtless but had bandages around his chest, and he got up and walked past her into the back. She just shook her head and laid down on the nearest cot, asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

(All right, enough about Raye. Over to Jak.)

Jak's shower took more time than Raye's did, mainly because every time he lifted his arms the wrong way, or moved too quickly for that matter, his chest hurt. When he finished, he re-wrapped the bandages _very_ carefully, though Torn and Daxter did still here quite a few pained curses. Eventually, he just got dressed and walked back out, handing the strip of cloth to Daxter. The little Ottsel wrapped up Jak's torso (again) easily, aided by the fact that he could actually walk around his buddy when doing so.

After Dax finished, Jak pulled his tunic back on and laid back on the bed, asleep just as quick as Raye.

--

"Hey, wake up Jakky boy."

_Jak sat up immediately. "What the...?" He looked around to see his dark squatting in front of him. He groaned. "I'd like to wake up now."_

_Dark snorted. _"No chance there. You may not have noticed it, but when that statue zapped Raye, it got in our head too."

_Jak growled. "First off, it's _my_ head. Second, how?"_

_Dark covered his eyes in disgust. _"It's a bloody Precursor. It just _can_."_ He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world._ "That's how it works. And apparently, it thinks we need to be friends like Raye and Ambika."_ He made a disgusted face._ "Little traitor is what she is."

_Jak shook his head. "Why would we need to? _You_ weren't the one who got a new winged demon look. You don't have the power to hold your form for longer than the eco in my blood lets you."_

"Our blood. And yes, I know that, don't rub it in."_ He snapped back._ "Be glad that you did get into that Tomb, otherwise I would, and I'm a helluvalot more stubborn than Ambika."_ Dark grinned. _"I wouldn't have let you live."

_Jak stood up. "What? Do you want to fight?"_

"No." _Dark stood as well. _"Jakky boy, there's something you need to get. Manifestations of dark eco can't permanently control a physical body like yours. We'd need to much dark eco to remain alive, and that eco eventually give the body we control eco poisoning. Even a channeler's body like yours."

_Jak barked out a laugh. "Are you saying you actually _want _to compromise?"_

"Not really. More like an... agreement."

_"Isn't that the same thing?"_

"Not really, Jakky boy."

_"Why are you calling me that?"_

"Jakky boy? Well, if you won't call me by an actual name, then I'll return the favor."

_Jak groaned. "Well you haven't exactly told me."_

_Dark paused._ "... Lykaios."

_"All right. So, what's the agreement, Lykaios?"_

--

SC: And because I am evil, I'm stopping here. Sorry if the shower crap sucked, I'm not used to doing those kinds of scenes. And I refused to picture a naked Jak, mainly because every fangirl reading this would have probably gone nuts, drooled all over their computers, and short circuited them. Or got them really wet. Ew. I seriously need some feedback on this chapter so I don't feel like a total and complete failure. Because if I do, I'll go into a depressed slump and you guys won't get anymore chapters. Do you really want that?

I didn't think so. That means, review and give me your honest opinion of the chapter. And by honest, I don't mean a scalding flame that's going to make me actually live out my pen name when I read. I mean constructive criticism. So, R&R people!

Ja ne!

SpontaneousCombustion

P.S: Lykaios is Greek for "wolf-like". I think I picked very fitting names. The goddess of destruction and wolf-like. Don't argue with me.


	25. The Life Seed

1Disclaimer: I don't own Jak and Daxter.

--

Chapter 25

The Life Seed

_Lykaios growled. _"For one thing, you could stop trying to suppress me every goddamned minute."

_"Well I wouldn't have to if you wouldn't react to everything that moved."_

"I don't! Just Krimzon Guards and Metal Heads."

_"Which we see at least three of every five seconds." Jak told him._

"Forgive me, I want revenge."

_"So do I, but that doesn't mean I'm going to kill a Guard in the middle of Main Town now does it?"_

_Lykaios glared. _"You've been tempted."

_"Because of you!"_

_Lykaios laughed, a harsh bark. _"Don't lay all the blame on me, Jak. Before you were even aware of my consciousness, you wanted death to befall everyone associated with Baron."

_Jak was silent. _"You know I'm right."

_"That doesn't mean I'd actually do it!" The two almost identical elves glared each other down for an unmeasurable amount of time before Lykaios broke the silence._

"Whenever Ambika comes out. Whenever she's allowed to come free, so am I."_ He held out his right hand. _"Deal?"

_Jak glared once again. "Fine." He shook Lykaios' hand and a burning pain shot up his arm. "What the hell! What did you do!" He pulled his hand away to see a dark scar forming on the underside of his left arm._

_The eco demon shook his head. _"Don't look at me."_ He raised his arm to show Jak a similar mark._

_Faintly, Jak heard Raye's frightened voice, but it was hard, as though it was far off. "Samos!"_

_"What is it, Raye?"_

_"Look at Jak's arm!"_

--

Samos peered at the sleeping man's left forearm to see a dark purple scar forming there. "Oh my."

Daxter turned to the sage. "What is it? Dark Jak?"

Samos shook his head. "This is to neat to be the work of Jak's other half." Raye's eyes widened and she pulled off her right glove to reveal a similar mark. It was made up of what looked like several tribal wings of all different sizes and lengths overlapping each other.

Looking from her own hand to Jak's arm she got an idea. Cautiously, very cautiously, laid her palm on the slowly forming mark. Burning pain shot up her arm, and Jak jerked in his sleep. She pulled away to see the mark finish itself quickly, a mirror image of Raye's.

Slowly, very slowly, Jak woke up. "Wha...? Raye?" He blinked when Raye hugged him tightly around the neck, remembering his ribs at the last second.

She pulled away and smacked him. "Don't you ever do that again!"

"Ow! What'd I do?"

Daxter climbed onto his shoulder. "Well, you were only asleep for nearly twenty hours..."

Blink. "I was?"

"Yes, you were." Raye snapped before walking up the stairs and outside, her glove forgotten on the bed.

As Jak looked after her, confused, Daxter sighed. "She was worried out of her mind. She thought that your ribs had actually broken and one had punctured something important. She nearly stomped out to storm the Palace and kill Errol herself. Then your skin started smoking..." Jak looked down at his arm, which was still smoking slightly.

His eyes narrowed. "What is this?" He touched it tentatively. Nothing happened.

Daxter climbed down and examined it more closely. "Ooh, cool."

"No it isn't." Jak told him.

"Whatever. So, have any cool dreams while you were hibernating?" Jak explained what had occurred in his mind with Lykaios.

Samos looked interested. "Hmm, interesting. It seems that the Oracle managed to affect you telepathically while physically affecting Raye."

Daxter, who had migrated down to near Jak's hip, looked up. "You know, after Raye woke up when you headed off to the Gun Course to meet Sig, she was looking at her hand. Jak? Jak, where are you going?"

As the words left Daxter's mouth, Jak had gotten up and started pulling his shirt on. "I need to talk to Raye. Alone." He added as Daxter started to climb up to his shoulder.

"Oh. Okay. I'll be in here then." He sat back down on the bed. "Alone, forgotten, unwanted..."

"I'll be right back." He pulled on his boots, grabbed Raye's forgotten glove, and walked up the stairs.

Raye looked up from her hand as the door slid open and Jak walked out. "You forgot this." He offered the glove to her. She grabbed it and slid it back on, the action allowing Jak to see the mark on her hand. "Raye-"

"Jak, I'm not in the best of moods right now." She snapped, turning to walk off. He grabbed her arm.

"Look, both of us have this same mark. It's got to be there for some reason."

"And you think I know what it is?"

"Actually, yes."

Raye was silent for a moment. "It... it's a sign of our dark eco contamination."

Jak sensed she was hiding something. "That's it?"

"... And a sign of the deal we made with our other halves." She muttered after a moment. "Ambika told me after it popped up. Though I'm guessing mine was a little less painful than yours, considering I made my deal willingly."

Jak scoffed. "I didn't have a choice in the matter."

She turned around finally, her hair whipping up against her cheeks. "Look, why don't you just ask Lykaios for an answer and stop being a jerk to me?" She snapped, her bright blue eyes blazing and voice rising with every word.

"How'd you know his name?"

Raye blinked. "What?"

"How'd you know his name? I didn't tell you."

"I don't know. It just popped into my head after I touched the mark on your hand."

Jak opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Samos walked out of the Underground. "Jak, Raye, I need the two of you to get something for me."

Raye pulled her arm out of Jak's grip. "What is it?"

"I need the two of you, and Daxter I suppose, to retrieve something out of my old hut in Dead Town. It is of great importance to me, and I greatly need it."

'The Life Seed.' Raye thought, close to laughing. Samos actually did need it, otherwise he wouldn't become... _sagely_. "All right, Samos. C'mon Raye." Jak walked off, Daxter still scampering up his shirt to his shoulder.

"Hold on." She turned to Samos. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something Samos."

The Sage nodded. "Of course, Raye."

Raye turned to Jak. "Go ahead without me." Jak nodded and zoomed off.

Samos and Raye walked back down into the Underground. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk about Raye?"

She sat down on Torn's work table, because he wasn't there. "Well, Onin showed me this vision of she and you sending me through a Rift Gate when I was a little kid."

Samos nodded. "I see. I didn't expect her to tell you so soon."

"But... that means that I'm from here, right? From Haven City?" She asked.

Samos nodded. "Yes Raye, you are. When you were a child, you were targeted for eco experiments because of your channeling abilities."

"I'm a channeler?"

He nodded again. "Yes, and a very powerful one. That is why both you and Jak were able to survive Baron Praxis' Dark Warrior program."

"But why didn't you just send me back to the past like Jak? Why'd you send me to Earth?"

Samos frowned. "If we had sent both of you to the same place and time, the trail would've been to easy to follow. We feared that you both would be placed in great danger if you were together. So, we separated you."

Raye paused, thinking this through. "So, if you went back with Jak, then who... who did you send to watch over me?"

"No one. It was very difficult to send you to a different world, sending someone else through and making them blend in as well... it would have been close to impossible."

"You mean my ears?"

He nodded. "You understand quite a bit of this Raye."

She laughed. "Nothing surprises me anymore." She paused, not sure how to word her next question. "Samos, did you know who-" She stopped as her talkbox rang loudly and she picked it up. "The number you've dialed is busy. Please hang up and try your call again later. Have a nice day."

"_Funny, Raye. Very funny._" Jak's voice crackled through. "_Is Samos there?_"

Raye handed the talkbox to Samos. "It's for you."

"Jak, have you reached my old hut?"

"_Yeah. What are we supposed to be looking for?_"

"It should be hidden on the top shelf behind some old boxes." Samos said.

"_Hold on..._" There was a yell of protest from Daxter in the background. "_Found it._" Silence. "_It's a seed._"

"Yes. Before we went through the rift, I was nurturing this Life Seed from the Great Tree. You must take it to Onin so she can prepare it for Samos."

"_You mean, you?_" Daxter asked.

Raye laughed as Samos got frustrated. "No, the other me Daxter! My younger self needs the seed's power to become sagely."

"_Wait... so you're saying the entire reason you have your powers is because of us! And you never said thank you!_"

Samos groaned. "Thank you, Daxter. Now get going! Raye will meet you at Onin's tent. He turned off the device and handed it back to Raye.

She pocketed it. "I'd better get going so Jak doesn't beat me there. Thanks Samos." The sage nodded and Raye walked out the door.

--

Raye arrived at the door to Onin's tent as Jak turned around the corner. She stopped, letting him catch up. "Hey. Have any Metal Head trouble?"

"Not really." He walked inside, Daxter jumping to the floor as he did.

Pecker greeted them. "Onin says what took you so long? We had to skip lunch waiting for you three!" The soothsayer clapped and blue sparks hit the monkaw's back. "Okay, okay. She really says 'thank you for saying the Life Seed.' But I wouldn't say that if I were her!"

Raye nudged him with the toe of her boot. "Well, then it's a good thing she's the soothsayer and you're the translator, huh Pecker?"

He crossed his arms. "Hmph. Give Onin hte seed and she'll prepare it for Samos." Jak handed the seed to Onin, who levitated it in front of her. As they waited, Pecker stared at the seed. "Mmmmm... bird seed..."

Daxter turned around. "Back off, feather weight!"

Pecker put his hands... err, wings on his hips. "Listen tiny tail, I was leading my hundredth flock south before you had fur one between your legs!" He smirked. "Not that your fur means anything."

Daxter glared. "At least I'm not some over stuffed, over yappin' mouthpiece for the world's oldest professional!" He motioned at Onin. Then, flapping his arms like wings, he said in a stupid voice, "Jak says 'have a nice day.' Jak says 'I can't think on my own.'" He tapped the side of his head. "Jak says 'Go bite yourself!'"

"That's it, rat boy! Now you've really pissed me off!" They both started making karate poises and sounds.

Jak turned around. "Knock it off, both of you!"

They glared at each other. "You're lucky I'm famished." Pecker warned Daxter, poking the ottsel's chest. "Onin says take the energized Life Seed to young Samos in Haven Forest. It will give Samos the power he needs to finally see the forest from the trees. Go, quickly."

Jak and Raye walked out, Daxter climbing up Jak's pants' leg to get to his shoulder, muttering insults.

Raye looked over at Dax. "You know, it would benefit all of us if you two didn't start arguing at every inopportune moment."

"He started it! And besides, you aren't one to talk." He muttered, pouting on Jak's shoulder.

Both elves looked away. "Um, Jak... I... I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."

"And I'm sorry for being a jerk. He held out his hand. "Truce?"

Raye took it gratefully. "Truce. Now, we'd better get to the forest."

--

Jak and Raye stepped off the Precursor platform that led to the main part of Haven Forest, both a light crimson. They'd had to both ride it at the same time, but it was to small to let them both stand normally, forcing them to stand very close. "Samos is probably back there." Raye pointed to the giant tree that was visible even from their spot.

"Let's go." Jak walked off, Raye following.

As they over the bridge that led to the tree, they saw Samos, the young Samos, meditating. Jak walked forward. "Samos told me to... I mean you told me to... or... well... your older version... ah, whatever. We heard you needed the Life Seed.

Samos stood. "Yes. Its power will help me speak to the plants."

Raye's ears twitched. _'Raye, KG behind us!'_ Ambika shouted.

The noise grew louder as Jak and Raye whipped around. Ultra-sensitive hearing picked up their voices. "There he is!"

"Roger. We're en route."

"I see 'em!"

Samos took a step back. "Jak, Raye, protect me from these guards! I must ask the plants vital questions about our future!"

The elves nodded. "Jak, stay down here. I'll take care of the ones with rocket packs." She tossed him her morph gun and released Ambika, who took off immediately. _"Eat this!"_ She shot down the three flying towards them with a few quick blasts. She was knocked to the ground when the turbulence from the two transports disturbed the air above her. She folded her wings to her body and crawled away from the pressure pinning her down to the grass and flew back up, above the giant red vehicles.

Swooping down in front of one, she growled at the soldiers still inside. _"Hello boys."_ She flew down and shoved the door back up, welding it shut with two eco-charged fingertips. She flew up to the driver's window and slammed her hand through, cutting it badly, worse when her fist went through the guard's face plate as well. She broke the lock and threw the door to the ground, slipping inside. She hit the autopilot button. "_Where would you like to go?_" The computer's voice, the same as the one that she had been forced to hear for two year's in Praxis' prison, asked.

Ignoring Ambika's protests, Raye took back over. "Back to the Palace."

"_Confirmed. Destination, Baron Praxis' Palace._" Raye jumped to the ground as the transport flew off, the guards still inside yelling in protest. Raye ran back towards the stairway to help Jak. _'You could've sent them to the bottom of the Port, at least. Or the Metal Head nest.'_

'I want them to stay alive. There's no need for pointless killing. They hadn't done anything to us, not yet anyway. Maybe this will scare them badly enough to make them quit.'

_'You're getting soft, but I see your point.'_ Raye ran up to see Lykaios, surrounded by corpses, strangling a guard that was probably still alive from the look of glee on his face. "Lykaios, stop it!"

He looked over his shoulder at her and, with a viscous grin on his face, snapped the man's neck. _"There. I stopped."_

Ambika took Raye's mouth. _"You idiot! You didn't have to kill them! We just had to protect Samos, not add more lives to the death count!"_

Lykaios glared. _"They deserve it after what they did to us."_

_"No one deserves that!"_ She gestured to the corpses that had been murdered in the most brutal ways she'd ever seen. Lykaios glared one more time before turning back into regular Jak.

Samos stood from his meditation, ignoring the corpses. "The Life Seed has given me a terrible vision. The Baron is planning to destroy the Precursor Stone! He aims to crack it open somehow. If he succeeds, the energy released will be beyond comprehension! It will destroy the world and more... ending all life! The plants are crying out for protection! You two must stop the Baron! Stop him, however you can!"

Jak and Raye both nodded. "We'll stop him." Jak said.

"I'm returning to the Underground. I need to speak to my older self." He picked his way through the corpses and walked away.

It was then that Jak seemed to realize the extent of what he'd done. "Oh Mar... did I...?" Pure horror spread across his face.

Raye hugged him. "It wasn't you, Jak. It was Lykaios."

Jak took a shaky breath. "Never again... I'm never letting him out again."

Raye, who was still hugging him, let go and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You'll have to eventually. If the eco in your system is allowed to build up to high, he'll force his way out. It's better if you let him out peacefully than have him fight you."

He didn't respond, just looked around. "How do we get rid of these?" He knelt down and touched one on the chest plate, and it burst into purple flames. "Woah!"

Raye did the same. A rush of eco flew through her fingers at high speed, setting the corpse aflame. She pulled her hand away, staring at her palm. The mark was glowing brightly and tingling. "Well, that's new."

They burned the rest of the corpses, the flames touching nothing else, not even the grass under the bodies. "Okay, as creeped out as I am, that was so cool!" Daxter cried.

"Daxter, that was not cool. That was dangerous." Raye scolded. Jak's talkbox rang and he pulled it out.

"What's up Vin?"

"_I need you and Raye to get to the Power Station. We've got a problem._"

"Okay, we'll be there as fast as we can." He turned to Raye. "Come on."

--

SC: Wow, I finished this one pretty fast. Sorry if the first part is shitty, I just felt the need to have some kind of mark that signified Jak and Raye's touch of the dark side, not to mention the agreements. It was that, or have them sign contracts, and that last one would just seem weird. I'll try and finish Child of a Shinobi's chapter quickly too. Read and Review people!

Ja ne!

SC


	26. The Last Race

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak and Daxter.

--

Chapter 26

The Last Race

Jak and Raye walked through the door of the Power Station to see Vin completely absorbed in whatever he was typing. "Hey sack a nerves! How's the bzzzzzt stuff going?" Daxter asked, making Vin jump around, clutching his chest.

"Aaahh! Oh, it's just you guys."

Raye grinned. "Glad to see you too, Vin. What's up?"

"I've got good news and bad news." He told them, stepping on his little elevator thing.

"Good news first please." Raye said before Jak could say anything.

His elevator zoomed up as he began talking. "The good news is Kor tells me we've got enough power on-line to keep the shield walls up. So for now, the city's safe." He fidgeted and tapped the screen he was examining nervously. "But I don't know how long the system can hold!"

Jak crossed his arms. "And the bad news?"

The elevator shot back down. "We've detected a cluster of Metal Head eggs at the Strip Mine site. Now, you've got to go back there and find a way to destroy those eggs before they turn into a whole new army of creatures!"

"You mean the ones that were in the middle of that dark eco pool?" Raye asked. "How the hell do we destroy those things? When we went there to rescue you, a few of my Blaster bullets hit those and ricocheted right off and five inches into the rock! If they were that strong then, then there's no way we can destroy them with a gun now."

Jak's forehead creased in thought. "I noticed the crane was lifting a large metal container. If we could jump onto the container, we could drop the crate from above."

Daxter gulped nervously. "High? Jump? Drop!" Jak flinched, for his friend's voice was right in his ear. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"

Jak grinned evilly. "Come on, Raye. Let's go."

--

As they went through the Warp Gate, Raye looked at the Metal Head eggs sprouting from the eco pool beside them. They were pulsing bright green light and, if her eyes weren't deceiving her, there were undefined shapes moving around inside. She grimaced. "We'd better hurry."

Jak was eyeing the eggs as well. "Yeah." Both pulled out their JET-boards and zoomed over the eco to the ground behind it.

-(lalalalala, I'm skipping this part...)-

As the two reached the top, they stopped and Raye peered over the edge. "Jak, you realize that if we miss this jump, we're either going to be dissolved in a quick and painful death in the eco pool or get run through by one of those sharp-looking spikes covering the eggs?"

"Yes, Raye, I knew that." He said, one foot on his JET-board. "Which is why you're staying up here."

"Better idea. We both stay up here and snap the rope this way." She pulled out her Vulcan and aimed it at the top of the rope, pulling the trigger. The bullets cut through the rope like a hot knife through yakow butter and the crate smashed the eggs to messy bits.

"Or we could do that." He jumped down onto the crate then to the ground. "Let's head back."

"Do we have to? I thought we could stay here and admire the view." She replied sarcastically, jumping down after him.

"Yeah. Rocks and dark eco. Great view." He muttered as the crate was eaten away by the eco it's bottom was submerged in before he walked into the portal.

-Jak's POV-

Daxter shook on my shoulder as we appeared in the Power Station. "I will never get used to using Warp Gates. It makes my skin tingle and fur stand on.

"Dax, do you have to whine about every..." Her sentence faded away as she stared at something across the room. I followed her gaze to see Kor and the Kid's crocadog, the latter of which looking miserable.

Kor looked angry. "I can't believe it. We were so close. The Baron stole the Precursor Stone right out from under us! And after all of our planning and hard work, Torn has betrayed the cause!"

I crossed my arms. "Torn meant well. He was protecting one of our own."

Kor didn't seem to hear me. "We must get that stone back."

I could feel Lykaios smirk in my mind. _'He sure has a one track mind.'_

'Shut up.' "We're working on it." By 'we' I meant Raye and I.

Daxter, who had migrated to the floor, shoved apart my legs. "Yeah, we're working on it!"

Kor sighed. "It seems I've underestimated this Baron, and now it appears he has the boy as well." He gestured to the crocadog. "Think. What will the Baron's next move be?"

Daxter scratched his head. "Well, if I had the Precursor Stone, with all that power, I'd use it to build a giant palace. A palace with the biggest harem of women the world has ever known, and there'd be a swimming pool filled to the brim with chocolate... slightly minty... yeah, yeah! A massive pool of gooey chocolate! Then the girls and I would jump in together, and-" Raye beat me in smacking Dax upside the head. "What?"

She shook her head and muttered something about 'stupid womanizing rats.' "Jak, I want you to go back out to the Drill Platform. If you can destroy the main control tower there, it should temporarily stop the Baron's use of eco to harm us." I nodded and headed toward the Warp Gate again.

Raye stepped out behind me as I was examining the Titan Suit sitting on the platform. "Looks like you've got to do this by yourself."

I climbed inside the suit. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be fine. These things are pretty durable." I had already used one to get to the Life Seed in Samos' old hut, so I simply hit the 'close' button for the glass.

She didn't answer, just jumped back through the Gate and I turned to the opening elevator doors.

-Raye's POV-

I stepped back into the Power Station to see Kor still there, examining Vin's computers. "Where'd Vin go?"

He turned around, not surprised in the slightest. "He had to go to see the Shadow." He smirked. "Did you think that I had done something to him?"

My glare hardened. "Actually, I did Kor." I pulled out my Blaster and focused the laser on his chest. "Or should I say oh great Metal Head Leader?"

He grinned, his giant fangs briefly poking through his illusionary body. "So my assumptions were correct." He took a step towards me and the laser jumped up to his forehead.

"One more step and we'll see if that illusion of your's holds up when your dead." I threatened.

He laughed. "You wouldn't dare to shoot me."

My finger tightened on the trigger. "Why's that?"

He moved faster than any old man should and appeared in front of me when I blinked. "If you wanted me dead, Raye," He grabbed my wrist and twisted it, hard, "You would have killed me already."

I dropped my Morph Gun as he continued twisting. I could hear the bones straining not to break as I tried to, unsuccessfully pry his fingers off and fell to my knees in pain. There was a growl from the other side of the room and the Kid's crocadog leaped at Kor, his teeth sinking into the man's leg and the smell of Metal Head blood filled the room. Trust me, there's a very large difference in what elf blood and Metal Head blood smell like. More dark eco in Metal Heads'. He relinquished his grip on my wrist, which thankfully wasn't broken yet, and I grabbed my weapon off the floor and looked at the bullets. Empty. I growled and holstered it. "Accursed mutt!" He hit the dog across the room with his staff.

By the time he turned back to me, he had a still charging dark eco blast aimed at his head. I fought off the urge to transform fully, Ambika would gleefully rip Kor to shreds without a care, not that I could blame her, and just concentrated the eco in my palm. "I don't know what you did with the Kid, but if you harm him, I'll-"

The door slid open and I forced the eco away from my hand, which gave me the impression I had liquid fire and shards of glass rushing through the veins in my arm, and put it back at my side. Just in time because Vin, as nervous and jumpy as always, walked in. "Oh! You're back."

"Hi Vin. When Jak gets back, tell him I went back to talk to Samos."

"Yeah, okay." He was immediately absorbed with his computers. I shoved past Kor and walked out.

As the door slid shut behind me, I felt a nudge at my ankle. I looked down to see the crocadog had followed me out. I bent down and scratched its ears. It licked my hand reassuringly. "You don't wanna stay in the same room as him either, huh?" It barked. For the first time I noticed it had a collar around its neck. I bent down to read it. "So your name's Zev, huh?" Another bark. "All right Zev. Let's go do something fun." My talk-box flew out. "Or not. What do you want, Krew?"

"Brutter needs some more... assistance from you and Jak, 'ey. Meet him at his stand in the Bazaar." It clicked off.

I sighed. "Well, destroying more Krimzon Guard transports is sort of fun. C'mon Zev, let's go see Brutter."

--

As I neared Brutter's stand, I saw his back was turned to me. "Hey Brutter."

He turned around. "It's sister Raye and her new little pal! Thank the Totem I sees you. You help Lurkers one time, you help us twos?"

"Brutter, I've got my own problems to deal with right now, not to mention five other peoples'."

"But you know big-to-do ruckus Jak cause at Dig? I know all caves like back of claw, and Mar's Tomb no where there! Now Metal Heads find hidden Lurker village in cave! They bit and hurt village real bad, and me Lurker brothers trapped like animals!"

I sat leaned against the supports of the stall. "Well, they kind of are animals..."

"We no longer evil lurking bad-to-bones. We good now. Metal Headers are bad. They is the enemies."

I smirked. "Yeah, I guess we're all in the same boat now."

He nodded energetically "Please, save six Lurker brothers quick and Brutter will kiss you foots!"

"How about I just save them and we leave the foot kissing out of it?" I asked. He nodded again and I walked off with Zev.

-Skipping this mission...-

I walked into the Underground, Zev still trailing behind me. "Never again am I working for Krew." I muttered, collapsing onto a cot. I let out a small 'oof' as Zev jumped onto my stomach.

"What happened?" Torn asked, probably with a smirk on his face.

"Nothing. I just had to go rescue six Lurkers so Krew could get paid." I looked over at him. "Remind me again why I'm doing this?"

"Because you want Praxis dead?"

"Oh. Yeah. Why did I ever think this was a fun game?" I asked myself under my breath.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing. Where's Samos?"

He didn't even look um from his work. "He went down to the Stadium."

"By himself?" I shoved Zev off me.

"No. Jak came back before he left and went down with him."

I stood up and headed back towards the door. "See ya'. Zev, stay." The crocadog laid back down on the bed, whining. "Don't give me that look, I'll come back."

-3rd Person-

Raye walked into the Garage to hear Keira talking. "... But I'm still missing two pieces." She stopped and stood just outside the door.

I heard Samos 'hmph.' "Figures."

"Vin says I need an artifact called the Time Map and an old energy gem the history books called the Heart of Mar. And I've checked every book on Precursor history I can find, but the Rift Ring seems to have vanished!"

"You did all this?" Jak asked. "I mean... that's useful."

Daxter groaned. "Oh, will you two stop moping and make up already?"

I heard a thump that could only be Jak hitting or kicking Dax. "I've seen the Heart of Mar. Krew has it!" Raye could almost see Keira frowning at the mention of the floating tub of lard's name. "We'll get those two artifacts, Keira."

The speakers overhead crackled in to life. "_Attention all drivers, the Class 1 Championship Race is about to begin._" The computerized voice announced.

"Well, here goes. The race of my life!" He turned to walk out but stopped when Keira put her hand on his shoulder.

"Jak... I just want you to know... well, you're the best racer I've ever seen." She said, blushing slightly.

Jak's eyes lit up, but Daxter, being Daxter, ruined the moment. "Hey! What about me! I helped us get here!"

Jak glared at Daxter. "Do you want to drive?"

"Against that crazy loon Errol? No way! You've got the handlebars this time, brother. And you'd better keep us alive, or I will never speak to you again! Obviously."

Keira grinned. "Leave 'em in the dust, Jak!"

As Jak's footsteps neared Raye, she walked off towards the onlookers' entrance. No need to ruin his good mood.

--

As Jak pulled his Zoomer up to the starting line, Errol pulled up beside him. He glared at Jak and shoved his mask down. Jak's attention, however, was drawn away by Praxis' platform floating down to rest in front of the racers and crowd. "Greetings, racers! Today your nerve and skill will be tested for our amusement. If any of you should, by some small chance, beat our grand champion Errol, then you will be rewarded a month's supply of eco, and a short tour of my palace to see how the other half live." He added under his breath. "Good luck, and die bravely! Ready? Get set... go!" All the racers flew off the starting line, slamming into each other as they tried to get a lead.

Jak, by some small measure of luck, spotted the shortcut that ran through the wall and turned into it sharply. He came out the other side just as the other racers, with Errol in the lead, came around the turn. He flew straight through a turbo boost and activated it, sending him flying ahead. Jak smirked. This was gonna be fun.

--

Up in the stands, Keira and Samos were watching as the race heated up. Errol had caught up with Jak and was trying to ram him into a wall. Finally, Jak braked, letting Errol, as well as two other racers, pass him before hitting the accelerator again and catching up. Keira cheered loudly as Jak passed up Errol again, crossing the line to enter the last lap.

The aqua haired girl looked around to see Raye a few rows ahead of them to their left, in the front row, her expression quickly turning from excited to worried. Jak was winning, what did she have to worry about? Unless... Keira turned back around to see Errol on Jak's tail and... _pulling out a pistol!_ "Oh no! Jak!"

--

Errol grabbed his pistol out of its holder. He was going to win this race, and he was going to take down Jak.

Jak, who was blissfully unaware of the added danger he was now in, was focused on driving. Just two more turns and a short stretch, and he won! So why was there this annoying little buzzing sensation that something was wrong? _"Jak, MOVE!"_ Raye's voice rang through his skull, as clear as if she were next to him. In surprise, Jak jerked the handlebars of his Zoomer, moving as Errol's bullet flew past him, nicking his ear. "What the-!" He glanced over his shoulder for less than a half-second, just enough time to let him see the gleam of the pistol in Errol's hand. 'Damn it.'

He looked down at his dashboard to see that he had one single turbo left. Using it around a corner was risky, but... he slammed his hand down on the button, satisfied with the cry of fury and pain he heard from Errol, who just got a face full of the Zoomer's burning hot boosters. As the KG commander slammed into the wall, his vehicle didn't explode unfortunately, hands covering his face, Jak flew across the finish line, braking before he got to far.

There was a moment of silence, then the Stadium exploded with cheers. Jak climbed off his Zoomer and looked around, surprised to see that almost, if not all, the people in the stands were cheering for him. Daxter was waving from his shoulder. "Thank you, thank you very much! I love my public!" Jak rolled his eyes and grabbed the castle access pass that floated down in front of him. His ears twitched as he heard Praxis' platform float down behind him.

"Ah, a brave man of the people. And who is this worthy opponent?" Praxis lowered his voice. "In my world, good men are either bought, or broken. So, which is it going to be?"

Jak, grinning evilly, turned around. "Surprise."

"What!" Jak took great pleasure at the look of shock on the Baron's face.

He gestured for Praxis to come forward. "Just a little closer. We need to talk."

Praxis slammed his hand down on the rim of the platform. "Fool! Don't you get it! It's over, Jak! All the heroes died long ago! Only survival remains... by whatever means! This city is mine. These lives are mine! This war is mine!" A gasp went through the crowd. Praxis seemed to forget that he needed to keep his voice down. "And in war, people DIE! Kill him."

One of the guards looked up. "Look out!" Jak and Praxis both turned around to see Errol zooming around the track, aiming straight for our favorite hero.

The commander laughed madly. "I win Jak." Many things happened in this moment.

Jak jumped to the side and Praxis' platform flew up, out of the way, leaving Errol heading straight for the eco barrels.

In the stands, Keira saw Raye jump out of her seat and shove through the crowd down to the front, right next to the eco shield that blocked people from falling down onto the track, with something held in her hand. Something that looked oddly like a gun. Suddenly, the shield exploded, sending everyone running out of the stands in a panic. But Raye just stood there, like nothing had happened.

She vaguely felt her father tugging her arm to get her out of the Stadium. Raye turned around slowly, and her eyes caught Keira's. A single word was in her gaze. _Run_. Keira snapped out of her trance and finally followed her father out, back into the Garage.

As Errol hit the barrels, filled with dark eco, they exploded. To protect himself from the blast, Jak freed the eco demon inside him, letting Lykaios absorb the blast. Errol's mask skidded to his feet, and he picked it up in his claws, examining it. Then he realized Praxis was still sending his guards after him. He growled and got ready to smash their skulls in, but a ball of electrically charged eco bullets flew past him, hitting the first guard square in the chest. The electricity leaped from one body to another, hitting all of the guards in turn.

"Lykaios!" He turned around to see Raye, Peacemaker in hand, gesturing for him to get over there. He growled, upset that he was deprived of killing anyone, but ran over anyway. "Come on!"

He glared. _"What do you want me to do? I can't fly."_

She leaned over the edge a little more. "Just jump. I'll grab your hand and pull you up."

_"This isn't going to work..."_ He muttered, crouching down. He leapt away from the ground, his hand outstretched. Raye dropped her gun and grabbed his wrist with both hands, wincing as Lykaios' claws cut into her skin. Alarms blared through the air, making it hard to concentrate. _"Raye, pay attention!"_

She blinked, realizing her grip on his wrists had been slipping. "I'm trying! I can't pull you up!"

Lykaios looked down at the track below him. _"You might not be able to, but Ambika can."_ The eco from the barrels had spread below him, eating away at the guards armor. One or two writhed and screamed, trying to get away. Apparently, Raye's blast hadn't killed them.

"If I try to change, you'll slip!" Raye was on the brink of a breakdown. If she dropped Lykaios now, the raw eco would eat away at him, and therefore Jak, and probably kill them both.

_'Jak, a little help here.'_

'Let me take over.' Lykaios growled but agreed, his concious slipping away as he relinquished control to Jak. "Raye, listen. Let Ambika take control." As creepy as it was to hear Jak's voice in Lykaios' mouth, Raye stopped freaking out for a moment.

But the moment passed. "But I'll drop you!"

Lykaios' dark black eyes locked with Raye's, and for a brief second she swore she saw a flash of Jak's baby blues. "Raye, I trust you."

Raye closed her eyes and laid her head on her still taut arms. Taking a deep breath, she raised her head back up. "Just give me your other hand." Her eyes were quickly turning black, and her skin was paling. Random sparks of eco traveled over her body, mainly in her arms. Jak clasped his other hand, 'Lykaios' hand,' he mentally corrected himself, around Raye's wrist as she started to pull him up. She ignored the pain in her arms as five more claws dug into her wrists, letting blood trickle down them.

Slowly, Jak slid over the rim of the now shattered barrier, hoisting himself up as soon as he could reach. Unfortunately, there wasn't any time to take a break and change back, for Krimzon Guard Hellcats and Zoomers had started to fly in. Raye and Lykaios ran out, Raye still half transformed into Ambika. _"Any bright ideas now?"_

Raye's eyes focused on the Zoomer sitting at the bottom of the stairs. "_C_ome _on._" Her voice was switching between her regular voice and Ambika's. Not a pretty sound.

She leaped onto the front, Lykaios climbing on behind her. _"Raye, unless you haven't noticed, there's no where we can hide."_

She smirked. "May_be no_t in the c_ity t_here isn't."

In that one moment, Lykaios became very worried about what was going through Raye's head. He didn't, however, have much time to worry, because half a second later, Raye slammed her foot on the accelerator and flew off.

--

SC: There it is. All seven pages and 3820 words. Doesn't seem like much, really. Oh well. And yes, I do realize that I didn't mention Daxter at all in this last part, but he was cowering on Jak's shoulder, 'kay? Next chapter, Jak and Raye have to sneak into the castle. Easy enough, right?

Puck: Ah, NO! Come here so I can smack you.

SC: (Covers Puck's mouth) As I was saying, easy enough, right? Sure, if you count avoiding being seen by every guard in Haven City. Which isn't all that hard. Normally. After the last little incident at the Stadium, Praxis has nearly TRIPLED the KG's force around the city. Yeah. This is where having the Underground as friends comes in real handy. OW! You little (censored)! You bit me!

Puck: (runs away, laughing madly)

SC: That's it! No tuna for you!

Ja ne.

SC


	27. Plan? What plan?

1Disclaimer: I only wish . . .

--

Chapter 27

Plan? What Plan?

"Do you think they followed us?" Raye asked.

Jak, who had gone back to normal, shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe." He laid back against a wall. "Even if they did, we'll be able to ditch them here." 'Here' happened to be Dead Town. More precisely, Samos' old hut.

Daxter, who had been running around outside, slipped through the door. "No sign of any of the guards. Just the usual Metal Heads." He climbed back onto Jak's shoulder. "So what now?"

Jak put a hand over his face. "I'm not sure. We can't just head back to Haven. Praxis probably has guards at every entrance to the city."

Raye shook her head. "We'll never get into the Palace now. We're completely screwed."

Ambika scoffed in the back of Raye's mind. _'And I thought I was the pessimistic one.'_

'Shut up.' She snapped back. "I could always fly in. You know, as Ambika."

"Feh. That won't set off a few dozen alarms." Jak muttered.

"Hey, at least I'm coming up with ideas instead of standing around being moody!" Raye yelled.

Jak glared. "At least I'm not coming up with ideas that would never work!"

Raye stood. "Excuse me?" She walked over and shoved him. "I'm trying, so cut me some slack, okay! I just saved your ass from getting fried back there!"

"I didn't ask for your help!"

Raye pulled back. "Then you know what, I won't help next time. You can up and die for all I care!"

Daxter coughed. "Guys? Um, guys? Could we stop the yelling?"

"Hey, you'd still be rotting away in the Baron's prison if I hadn't decided to rescue you! Or maybe I should've just left you there to be Errol's bitch."

Daxter shook his head and put his hands over his face. "You've done it now, buddy."

Raye's eyes filled with anger and disgust. "Why you-!" There was a resonating 'smack' as her palm squarely hit Jak's cheek. Jak reached up and touched his cheek, which was now throbbing.

Daxter jumped between them, holding himself up by pressing both his hands/paws on each of their collarbones. "ENOUGH!" Both looked down at him. "I am so sick of you two arguing! You're acting like little kids! Now," He looked at Jak, "Jak, apologize to Raye for being an asshole, and Raye," He turned toward her, "Say you're sorry for hitting Jak."

Both elves looked away. "Sorry for hitting you." Raye muttered.

"And I'm sorry for even suggesting that I should have left you in prison."

Daxter let out a relieved sigh. He hadn't thought they'd actually listen to him. Well, as long as they didn't go postal and turn dark on each other. "Okay, good. Now, can we come up with a plan _together_ this time?"

With impeccable timing, Jak's talkbox flew up. "_Jak, Raye, where are you?_" It was Samos. The sage, not the Shadow.

Jak let a relived smile spread across his face. "Out at your hut in Dead Town."

"_Good, that's far enough away from the city that the Baron's forces shouldn't find you._"

Raye snatched the talkbox. "What do you mean, they 'shouldn't' find us?"

"_After the little stunt you two pulled at the Stadium, Praxis tripled the Guard patrols._" Torn's harsh voice snapped through the usual static. "_Now a fly couldn't even get into, or out of, the city._"

"Glad to know you're in a good mood today, Torn." She muttered. Then, at a normal volume, "There's got to be some way to get in."

"_The possibilities are bleak, Raye._" The Shadow said.

Jak frowned. "Couldn't Vin fake a disaster? One that would require most of the Guards to get away from the Slums for a little bit?"

Raye pulled out her own talkbox and punched in Vin's number. "Vin?" She heard typing in the background. "VIN!"

"_What, what, what!_"

"Woah, Vin, calm down. It's Raye."

"_Oh... don't do that! I nearly had a heart attack!_"

"Vin, Jak and I need a really, really big favor."

There was a pause. "_How big?_"

"Big enough to get, say, all the Krimzon Guards out of the Slums long enough for me and Jak to get back to Underground HQ?"

Silence. Ambika started counting._'One, two, thr-'_ "_ARE YOU TWO INSANE! That would require... a red alert! If I faked one of those... oh Mar, Praxis would kill me!"_

"Not all of them, just enough to let us sneak in without drawing any attention. Vin, we really need you to do this. Praxis is planning something really big and really bad and we've got to get into the Palace to stop him!"

Vin sighed on the other end of the line. "_I can't do that, Raye. Only Praxis can authorize a red alert. I have to send it through him first, and then he has to send the okay. Otherwise, I can't even get into the system._"

" S' okay Vin. Are you sure there isn't anything you could do?"

"_Well... I could shut down all Guard vehicles and weapons and blame it on the eco shortages. But it'll take a while, so I'll call when I finish._"

"Please and thank you." Raye clicked off.

Jak blinked. "When did Vin get so brave?"

Daxter shrugged. "I don't know, but it sounded like he was about to throw up to me."

"He probably was." Raye said, standing up. She plucked Jak's talkbox out of his hands. "Torn? If you were listening to that at all, just three words: ha, ha, and HA." She tossed it back to the blonde.

"You done?" He asked, standing up.

"Yep, pretty much." She took his hand and let him pull her up. "Let's go. I'm getting claustrophobic." Jak grabbed her shoulder. "What?" He pulled out his Blaster. "Oh. Right. Metal Heads."

"Yeah. Metal Heads."

--

'Anger issues? We don't have anger issues. We have you two.' Raye thought as Ambika and Lykaios slashed through another wave of Grunts.

_'Could we cut the sarcasm while I'm trying to save our ass?'_

'Who said I was being sarcastic?' But she shut up anyway.

Ambika shoved her claws through another Grunt's stomach. _"Where the hell are these things coming from!"_

_"Don't ask me."_ Lykaios growled, shoving one Grunt's severed head down a Juice Goons throat. _"Ask the goddamned Metal Head leader!"_ He blew up the last one that had headed toward Ambika's turned back.

_"Point out to me where he is and I will. Thanks, by the way."_

_"You owe me. Try the Metal Head Nest."_

_"No fucking duh, bro."_ She snapped._ "And before you ask, technically, we're siblings. Sort of."_ She shuddered as the features shrank away and she turned back to normal. "Oh gross.""What?"

She spat. "That." There was dark eco contaminated blood mixed with her spit.

"That's not yours, is it?" Jak demanded.

"Pfft, no. Ambika decided to play vampire on one of the Grunts." She spat again. "I think I'm going to puke."

"It'd probably taste better than Metal Head blood."

"Probably." She then promptly ran off. Jak, with his super-sensitive hearing, could hear her retching. She walked back a few minutes later.

"Better?"

"Much." She nodded, still looking a bit sick.

Daxter, who had gone and hid up on a ledge for safety on Jak's orders, climbed back down. "So did Vin say what the signal would be for us to go back?"

"He said we'd know it what it was when he heard it." A loud alarm sounded from inside the walls.

Jak looked at Raye. "That sounds pretty dang signal-like, don't you think?"

"One way to find out." Raye muttered, closing her eyes. "Twice in a half hour. This has to be a new record." Wings appeared, and she took off. "Two guards, maybe, and the civilians are all inside. We're good."

_-_Daxter's POV-

Jak took off running as soon as the second door opened. I hated running, it always made me feel like I was going to fall. Raye landed in front of us, wings shrinking by the second, and matched pace without missing a beat. "We've got to hurry. No doubt Praxis is going to tell Vin to tap into the extra eco supply." Jak said.

"You think?" Raye muttered, turning into the alley that held the door of the Underground. "Torn, open up!" She yelled. The door slid open, and all three of us ran in. Well, Jak and Raye ran in. I was still sitting on Jak's shoulder.

Raye collapsed gratefully onto one of the beds. "Remind me... to thank Vin later. Because he is awesome."

"Are either of you injured?" Samos asked. Jak shook his head.

"No, but we did get ambushed by a huge group of Metal Heads."

I stood up. "Of course, I told them what to do."

Raye scoffed. "You were hiding on top of a ledge, shivering in fear." I glared at her.

"It was cold!"

Jak put a hand over my mouth. Why does everyone insist on doing that! "The Metal Head Leader really has it out for us. Now more than ever."

I saw a mixture of emotions cross Raye's face for an instant; pain, anger... guilt? "Are you sure you're all right Raye?" Torn asked. Good, I wasn't seeing things.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... worn out." She was lying. I should know, I did... okay, _do _that a lot. Though I couldn't blame her, she'd changed into Ambika more times in a shorter period of time than I though possible.

Jak pulled the security pass into the Palace out of his pocket. "We need to get into the Palace. We need to get the Precursor Stone back."

"Not to mention the boy." Samos added. I saw another flash of pain across Raye's face. She stood and, after roughly shoving Torn out of the way, ran to the back, no doubt to the bathroom again.

Torn rubbed his shoulder where it slammed against the wall. Raye was stronger than the average girl. Trust me, as many times as she's smacked me, I should know. "What's with her?"

Jak grimaced. "Too much eco." Torn obviously took Jak's tone as a 'shut up or I will rip your head off' tone, and just grunted.

I looked at Jak. "So, any brilliant plans to sneak into the Palace?"

He gave me a 'look'. "If I did, would we still be standing here?"

"So that's a no, then?"

"Yes, Dax, that's a no." He sighed, exasperated.

Torn paused. "Disguises may work. If the Baron thinks you and Raye are still out in Dead Town, then he may not be looking for you that close to the Palace."

Raye walked out from the back. "That may be the smartest idea I've heard yet."

Jak sighed. "Disguises it is. Let's get started."

--

SC: I can hear you all now: an update, finally! Yes, it's an update, and yes, it's short, but that's just something you need to deal with.

Ja ne

SpontaneousCombustion

Next Chapter: To the Palace! Sneaking into Praxis' Palace is easier than it should be, but what's waiting for Jak and Raye inside?


	28. Getting into the Palace

1Disclaimer: You want a disclaimer? I'll give you a disclaimer! (Flips off people looking for these things) Twirl on it!

--

Chapter 28

Getting into the Palace

"This is such a stupid plan." Jak muttered, making sure that his hood hadn't fallen down. "Why can't I just wear a hat?"

"Because, you have very unique hair Jak." Raye told him, adjusting her hat. "Black is a much more common hair color than blonde with green highlights is."

"Yeah, I know." He muttered. "You okay back there Dax?" He asked. Daxter, because of the fact bright orange Ottsels were about as common in Haven City as Jak's hair, was sitting in Jak's backpack, along with his Morph Gun and JET-board.

"Just peachy." Came the muffled reply.

"Good, let's go." He walked out the door.

"Hope our disguises are good enough." Raye muttered. He grinned.

"Don't worry. If I didn't know that you were under there, I wouldn't recognize you." He tugged her hair.

"Don't do that." The trip to Main Haven was slow, faster than it would've been if they'd driven, though, because then Jak might have had to, horror of horrors, drive like a _NORMAL PERSON_! (insert gasp and dramatic background music here)

But back to the topic of the story, they reached Main Haven and then got captured and killed.

The End.

Just kidding, they did reach Main Haven, did not get killed, or captured, and got to the Palace. _That's_ where things started snagging.

Jak cursed under his breath. "Torn wasn't kidding when he said they raised security." In front of the Palace, there were several lines of guards standing in front of the doors, at least ten per line.

Raye let out several violent curses under her breath. Daxter peeked out from Jak's backpack. "What, what? Let me see." His eyes widened. "We're screwed."

"Gee, thanks Daxter." Raye muttered. "Now what?"

"I don't know, you're the one who usually knows what to do." Jak muttered.

Raye bit her lip. 'But I only knew what to do because it was going along like the game. THIS was definantly NOT in the game.'

_'Well how are we supposed to get in?'_ Ambika asked.

"Give me a minute." Raye muttered, sitting down on the edge of the fountain. She suddenly looked at Jak's backpack. "I may have an idea, but we'll need Daxter's help."

Daxter, who still had his head poked out of the pack, looked at her. "What kind of help?"

"Well..."

xXx

"No way. There is no way that I'm going to be a distraction!" Daxter protested.

"Come on, Dax. You're good at hiding and stuff, and you're so small that no one's going to catch you anyway." Jak told him.

"Nuh-uh, no chance, get yourself a new partner, 'cause I-" Raye gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Please?"

Daxter pouted. "Fine. But I expect another kiss when I get back!" He crawled out of Jak's backpack and ran out in front of the guards. "Hey losers! Look down here!"

Surprisingly, they did all look down. "It's that rat the convicts had with them. Catch it!" Almost all of the guards ran after a screaming-in-terror Daxter.

Raye grinned. "See, now three we can handle." She slid over the railing behind them and put her hands up to the back of their helmet. Two small dark eco bolts shot out of her finger tips, and the guards collapsed, unconcious. This would have attracted the attention of the other guard, if Jak hadn't already knocked him unconcious as well.

Jak slid his hood off. "That was too easy." He held the pass up to the door.

"Access approved." The doors slid open and the two elves walked inside.

Raye took off her hat and shook out her hair. "There's no one in here." They walked through a couple of rooms.

"Yeah, I know. It's getting kind of scary how much we use these abilities." Jak said. Raye nodded as the next door opened... and a turret gun started shooting. Both elves jumped to either side of the doorway.

"Well that may be a problem."

Jak laughed. "Problem? More like an annoyance." He ran into the room while the gun was facing Raye and pulled out his Vulcan. The poor turret gun was reduced to a pile of rubble.

"Will you two...(gasp, pant) wait up for just one second!" A very tired Daxter crawled into the room.

Jak ran back over. "Dax, you okay?"

The Ottsel glared at him. "No, I am NOT okay! It took me forever to lose those idiots and get back here! Not to mention I nearly got spotted by the three that you two oh-so-cleverly knocked out for like ten minutes. And I believe I'm owed a kiss!"

Raye rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek again. "There, happy?"

"Yes, much more so." Daxter grinned, climbing up to Jak's shoulder.

Jak rolled his eyes. "Let's go."

As they walked into the Throne Room, Jak cursed. "Praxis isn't here!"

The two elves heard footsteps behind them. "No, but I am."

Raye turned around. "Ashelin?" Her eyes traveled to the pistol in her hands. 'Oh shit.'

"I shouldn't have trusted you two!" The redhead growled.

Jak smirked. "Back to square one, huh?"

Ashelin walked over, a gun pointed at each. "Don't play with me. All along you've been trying to undermine our war with the Metal Heads! Whose side are you on?"

"Ashelin, you have to listen to us." Jak told her. "Your father's planning something really bad, and if-"

"My father can stop the Metal Head armies once and for all!" She yelled, shoving her pistol under Jak's chin.

"If he cracks open the Precursor Stone, the explosion will kill all of us!" Raye told her angrily, shoving the pistol out from under Jak's chin. "Don't you get it!"

Ashelin looked shocked, and Daxter smirked. "That's right. Not so hard, huh? Even I can figure this one out!"

Both started to walk away, but Ashelin leveled her pistol with them again. "Don't you two move!" She pulled out her communicator. "Vin, come in."

**"**_What? What? I've got my hands full here you know!_**"**

"You know all about the Precursor Stone myth, right?"

"_Sure. I did my Econetic Energy Doctorate on Precurian Theoretical Physics. Why?"_

"What would happen if the Precursor Stone were to be, say, violently cracked open?" She asked, shrugging a bit.

"_Great! As if I didn't have enough to keep me awake at night, you give me one more thing to dread! Thank you very much!"_

"Just tell her Vin." Raye called from the background. Having a pistol leveled at her head was not how she wanted to spend today.

_"Okay, okay. If someone actually had the Stone, according to my calculations, a runaway eco charge from cracking it open would, theoretically, destroy everything!"_

"Everything!" Ashelin asked, horrified.

"_All things! Every single thing! Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go throw up. Bye-bye._"

Ashelin lowered her arms to her side, shell shocked. "Trust me Ashelin. We have to find a way to stop him." Jak said.

Ashelin covered her eyes with her hand. "I'll try to find out more. But right now, my father is meeting Krew at a secret weapons factory near the Dig. Here. That's my top-level security pass." She handed him a black security pass. "It'll get you into the factory, but it won't get you back out. We never had this conversation."

The sound of footsteps, lots of heavy footsteps, reached the four's ears. "They must be coming to check on Ashelin." Raye muttered. "We'll never get back out that way."

Ashelin stopped and turned around. "There's a doorway behind the last pillar on the left. Take it out. But it won't be easy."

Jak walked over and shoved a portion of the wall away. "Nothing we do ever is."

(a/n: Now, before I get flamed for this part, let me clear this up: there will be no guards to slow Jak and Raye. Why you ask? Have you not realized that all the guards have been put out on watch duty? There are no guards to slow them down!)

Raye let go of the bar and landed next to Jak. "Okay, I can't get why the heck there aren't any guards at all in the _Palace._ You'd think Praxis would want to guard Ashelin from the dangerous eco freaks."

Jak scoffed. "I think he's more worried about himself. Now that Errol's gone, he's our number one target."

Raye grinned, rage shining clearly in her eyes. "Oh, hell yes. Now, what do you say to getting out of here?"

"Best suggestion I've heard in the past hour."

xXx

Thankfully, Raye and I were fast enough to get out of the Palace before the guards did. Ashelin had probably had her hands full having them scour the entire place. _'Hope she sent them to the roof. I'd kill to see those morons trying to get across in that bulky armor.'_ Lykaios cackled.

'Would you shut up?' I growled, making sure my hood was up again. "Jak, that's the third time you've checked your hood. Calm down." Raye muttered.

"How can you say to calm down? Have you even considered how we're going to _get_ out of the city and to the Dig? If we try to use the transport, we'll get caught."

She sighed and pulled a couple of pieces of paper out of her pocket. "Torn gave me a couple of KG passes to get on the transport. As far as those idiots go, they'll think we're a couple of guards on our day off, just going to check in."

I rolled my eyes. "Great. We get to pretend to be the biggest idiots on the planet."

She grinned. "Just have Daxter coach you from your backpack."

"Hey!" Came the muffled protest.

"Move it, I don't want to stay in one place for too long." I told them, starting to walk off.

"Wait up! Mar, you are so impatient." Raye muttered, jogging a bit to match stride.

I shook my head. "No, you're just slow."

"You know what? Next time you get cornered by a pack of Juice Goons or something, I'm going to take my good sweet time getting over there to help you, just for that comment." Somehow, I found the scariest thing in that sentence was that she was serious.

At the Port, I found that fear replaced by a different one. One that was going to turn into fuel for Lykaios if this plan didn't work. But, it went through without much of a hitch. The guards didn't question the papers, I did have to show them the top-level security pass, and we just took off. Also fortunately: there was only one guard, and he was driving.

Unfortunately, the guard felt like chatting. "You two heard about the two freaks that are loose?"

I resisted the urge to snap his neck. "Who hasn't?"

"Yeah, good point. Poor commander Errol. Had to be a pretty bad way to die, dark eco explosion." He shuddered.

I saw Raye's fists clench by her sides. "Yeah. Must've been painful." There was a hint, okay, a BIG hint of malice under her words that clearly said 'and he deserved every second of it'.

"Yeah. I used to be on duty when the two convicts were in the Dark Warrior program." Raye and I both looked at each other. This guy had been one of the ones who'd helped destroy us for two years. "Sad thing was, they were just kids. I would've quit right then if Praxis hadn't had my family in prison for some bogus charges."

"Bogus charges?" Raye asked.

"Yeah, he had my two boys in there, they were only about twenty at the time, for 'drug smuggling'." He laughed. "I'd probably help those two kids out if I had a chance. Praxis is an asshole, and he needs to be taken down."

"You wouldn't by chance be in the Underground would you?" I asked. I could sense the heat of his body as I said that.

"Why?"

I shot Raye a look. She shrugged and mouthed go ahead. "Torn sent us."

He turned to look at us. "You two are...?" I pulled off the hood. "You're the two who escaped!" He started laughing. "Well you're right, I am with the Underground. I've been shuttling some of our men from here to Haven whenever I have a chance.

Raye pulled off her hat. "What's your name?"

"Tyro. I defaulted about the same time as Torn, after the Dead Town incident."

Raye leaned forward. "What happened?"

He started to say something, but stopped. "I'll tell you on the return trip. We're here."

--

SC: Chapter 28 is done. Next up, getting through the factory and fighting Krew. That'll be tough. Yeah. Right. Tough.

Ja ne

SpontaneousCombustion


	29. 2 against 1: seems fair enough

SC: I spent almost five hours copying down every scene from right before the fight with Krew to the end of the game. Five. I got writer's cramp Mar knows how many times, and I never want to watch any of those scenes again. Well, not until I get to them in the game at least.

Puck: (coughs slightly.)

SC: Oh, right. I don't own anything except Raye. And, at the moment, Torn's dagger.

--

Chapter 29

Two Against One: Seems fair enough

Tyro opened the back hatch for the two elves. "Good luck with whatever it is you're doing."

Jak nodded, walking off. "Thanks." Raye said before running after him. "Err, Jak? What exactly are we doing?"

"Storming this place, killing whatever guards we find, then Praxis and possibly Krew." He told her without missing a beat.

She shrugged. "Sounds good to me." They climbed the stairs and Jak waved the pass in front of the door. It opened with an "Access granted" and they walked through.

Almost immediately, they were bombarded with gunfire. "It's the eco freaks!"

"Get 'em!" Jak and Raye dove behind two large, metal supports.

Jak snuck a peak from behind the pillar. "Mar damn it, almost the whole army's in here!"

"Praxis must've really wanted this deal to go down." Raye muttered. "What do you think? Guns or eco?"

The blonde growled and covered his eyes. "There's no way we have enough bullets to take them all down, but even Lykaios and Amibika would get shredded before we got over there."

"So what do we do? Sit here and look pretty while we wait for them to run out of bullets?" Daxter asked.

"No. We need a distraction."

Daxter crossed his arms. "Oh no. Not again, I won't."

"I wasn't talking about you." He shut his eyes and concentrated. Purple lightning crackled around Jak's left hand and his skin started to pale slowly, the color being bleached away in his arm. Jak jumped out from behind the pillar, shooting a ball of eco at the cluster of guards. It hit the platform beneath them, sending them plummeting into the liquid below. Their screams of pain faded into a disgusting hissing noise.

Raye stepped out into the open. "That is disgusting." She said, covering her nose.

"What? I don't smell anything." Daxter said.

"Blood and acid." She gagged. Jak, too, looked slightly ill as the pigments in his arm slowly turned back to their original color and the growing claws shrank back.

He covered his nose with his bandanna. "Let's just move."

"Oh, that's just not fair." Raye complained under her breath, following him.

--

"Jak, for the third time, it's moving too fast. You'll never make it up." Raye sighed as Jak once again prepared to leap onto the moving conveyor belt in front of them.

"Do you see any other way to get up?" He asked. She walked around the side, disappearing from his view. He heard a gunshot, and the belt was suddenly going in the opposite direction, towards the ledge above them instead of away.

"I do now." She said, climbing on and letting the belt move her up. Jak rolled his eyes and followed her.

xXx

Jak and Raye stood in front of two very large, solid-looking, steel doors. "You ready?"

Raye laughed. "Never been more." Jak hit the 'open' button and stepped through the doors. Praxis was nowhere to be seen, but Krew was floating around near the top of something that looked like a very large drill.

He noticed them, and his chair flew down. "I knew you two were special when I first met you, and I commend you both for making it this far. We've come a long way, 'ey?"

Jak crossed his arms and glared at Krew. "Yeah. I'm gettin real teary eyed."

Krew grinned visciously. "I love weapons. I love how they look, how they feel, even how they smell."

"I think you need serious help." Jak told him.

Raye nodded. "Ever considered therapy?"

The huge elf continued as if they hadn't spoken. "My favorite was the impossibly powerful weapon Mar built to blast open the Metal Head Nest. Poor fool died before he could use it. Ahh well. But I have a new favorite, the Piercer Bomb I just completed. My masterpicece is powerful enough to crack open the Precursor Stone and release the untold energy inside! As soon as the Baron shows up with the Stone, we'll hide it in the last shipment of eco and deliver it to the Nest. A surprise dessert, ey!" He laughed. "Just take these Gun Upgrades and forget what you saw here." He tossed them a couple mods.

Jak and Raye caught them, but made no move to leave. "Not this time, Krew." Jak growled.

Raye snapped the mod onto her gun and pointed it at him. "We're through being your hired guns."

Krew growled at them and flew up. "Then it's war, isn't it?" He hit a button on the arm of his chair, and small, green clones of him surrounded the two elves. "Meet my clones." He laughed insanely as he flew away from the platform. Electricity pulsed through the copies as they moved in on Jak and Raye.

Raye pulled the Scatter Gun's trigger, sending a good bunch flying. She pulled it again and they disappeared. "Come on!" She yelled, running through the gap.

Jak followed her, shooting at any of the clones that came close to him. But for every one that he or Raye destroyed, another would pop up somewhere else. "This isn't working!"

"I realize that." Raye growled. She looked out at Krew, who still had his finger on the button. "But I've got an idea." She handed him her gun and ran towards the edge of the platform.

"What are you doing?" He yelled.

Raye grinned at him over her shoulder. "Just keep shooting!" She said, reaching the end of the metal grille. 'Have to do this quick.' She thought, jumping off the edge. Her mind reached for the dark eco in her veins, and Ambika burst free.

_'You know, there are better ways to get my attention!'_ She growled, flying toward Krew.

'It worked didn't it? Just take out that stupid device.'

_'Why not just blast him down?'_

'He might land on someone.' Ambika wasn't sure if Raye was being serious or not, and she didn't have time to stop and ask. She flew over to Krew and ripped the clone maker off his chair. _"Hi." _She grinned, showing fangs, before flying back to the platform, crushing the device as she did. The mini-Krews that were advancing on Jak vanished as she landed. _"You're welcome."_ She told him before changing back. Raye grinned. "Well, that was fun."

Jak handed her Morph Gun back. "That settles it: you're completely insane." His reply was the same mad grin. Jak shook his head and looked over to where Krew had been, only to see that he was zooming toward them. He shoved Raye out of the way, simultaneously jumping backwards himself. Luckily, Krew was going so fast that he didn't have time to turn to hit either of them, but he did have time to brake before he hit the wall.

Using his enhanced abilities, Jak quickly recovered from his fall and practically flew over to Krew's chair, ripping out any wire he could get his hands on. He leapt away as the chair spun out of control, slamming into the large, drill-like thing at the center of the platform and finally stopping, falling to the ground. The ruby-red Heart of Mar fell to the ground. Krew reached for it futilely, Daxter jumping off Jak's shoulder and grabbing it first.

Both elves walked over. "Is it to late to give my notice?" Jak asked, malice lacing his words.

"Yeah, we quit!" Daxter said, handing the gem to Jak and climbing back to his shoulder.

"The city is already dead! I've sold you all out!" Krew started to laugh, but it quickly turned into a cough.

Jak put his gun against Krew's skull. "What are you talking about!"

Daxter looked up at the drill-thing, which was smoking and shaking violently. "Uh, Jak? I think we should be anywhere else right about now!"

At that moment, a bright red Hellcat flew up. "Ashelin!" Jak yelled, surprised.

"Get in!" She ordered. Both obeyed, Jak forcing Raye into the seat and then jumping onto the edge and holding onto the bar on top. Daxter, of course, climbed down to sit with Raye. "We're outta here!"

They had just started to fly off when the factory exploded behind them. The Hellcat rocked from the tremor, nearly making Jak lose his grip. Ashelin righted it quickly, her arms shaking from the effort of holding it on a straight path.

Ashelin landed in the Port. Jak jumped off the side, indents in his palms from where he was clutching the bar. "You two find my father. I'll take the Heart to Keira for you." Jak nodded and handed her the gem. "I'm sorry it's come to this."

'So am I.' He thought as she took off. "Come on, we should head to the Hip Hog. Make sure Tess is okay."

When they walked through the door, Tess was examining the game in the corner. "Hey guys. Before he left for the factory, Krew put something in this machine, and he looked really nervous about it."

Daxter scoffed and jumped off Jak's shoulder. "Whatever it is, he won't be needing it anymore. He's, shall we say, not all together these days."

Raye rolled her eyes. "I doubt there's even anything left to put back together." She muttered. Jak nodded his agreement.

Daxter struck a 'heroic' pose. "Step aside, Jak. Let the game player do his stuff."

Tess bent down and scratched his ears. "You're such an animal!" He grinned at her and jumped onto the game's top, grabbing the mallet.

Blah, skipping this…

Daxter leaped off the Whack-A-Metal-Head game triumphantly. "Told ya'!" A metal object shot out of the prize slot. It popped open to reveal flashing coordinates. "The Time Map!"

Jak growled. "Should've known Krew had it." He muttered, picking it up.

Daxter turned to Tess. "You know, sugar plum, if any REAL Metal Heads came into town, I'd bonk 'em just like I did in the game." The door to the Hip Hog opened and a Grunt walked through.

"Daxter..." Tess said, scared. Jak shook his head 'no' to the Ottsel.

"Dax, don't!" Raye hissed.

Unfortunately, Daxter being who he is, was to busy bragging to see Jak's motion or hear Raye and Tess. "They'd be all 'Don't hurt me, please!' and I'd be all 'Too late Metal Monkeys! You die screaming!' Hehe, know what I'm saying?" Another Grunt walked in to join the one already behind Daxter

Jak and Raye pulled out their Blasters. "Um..."

"Dax, turn around. Slowly." Raye said.

Daxter spun around quickly, ignoring Raye's order. "Jak, I think these trophies are still walking!" He jumped as two simultaneous gunshots went off. "Me-me-METAL HEADS! METAL HEADS! Where's Sig when you need him!" Daxter yelled, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be the 'Great Metal Head killer'.

Tess paused. "Sig? I think Krew sent him on one last mission. Something about using Mar's Ruby Key to open a secret door in the Underport?"

Jak smacked his forehead. "Of course! Come on Dax, we need to get to the Underport pronto. Raye, let's go." The elves walked towards the door. "Tess, can you-"

"Don't worry, I'll take the Time Map to Keira." The blonde assured him, catching the device as he tossed it to her.

Before leaving Daxter stopped at the door. Be careful angel cheeks, and your hero will be back shortly." He bowed.

Raye nudged him with the heel of her boot. "Come on lover boy. We've got a Wastelander to save."

As Jak and Raye walked out the door, they absorbed the carnage in front of them. "Oh Mar." Raye breathed.

Blood stained the streets, running over into the Port waters, which had started to take on a pinkish hue. Mutilated and charred bodies of Krimzon Guards, civilians, and Metal Heads alike were splayed along the ground, piling on top of one another. A few were still alive, just badly wounded. Jak and Raye walked through the piles of bodies, putting bullets into the skulls of still thrashing Metal Heads.

Raye nearly burst into tears as she saw a little kid squirm out from under his mother's corpse. Jak noticed that she had stopped and turned to see why. As he saw the kid, a boy, Jak realized why she had stopped. "Raye, come on. There's a guard squadron coming; they'll get him." She nodded and followed after him quietly.

The doors to the Underport opened painfully slowly, but the elevator was fast. (a/n: I don't remember if the water part with the Titan Suit is here or not, but I'm skipping it if it is.) Both made the short jump over the pit to see Sig shooting at a dozen or so Grunts, whose numbers were slowly dwindling. "Hey there, tough guy." Both elves ducked as a bullet flew towards them.

"Get your skinny ass over here and start shooting!" Both ran over, Blasters still drawn. "Man was I set up! Krew sent me down here to open some old doors with that Ruby Key you found, and when I did, Metal Heads came streaming in from some passage outside the walls, like they were waitin' for me. There's one!" Jak blasted it.

"Krew's dead." Jak told him, glancing around for more Grunts.

"Yeah? Well he's lucky! Because he would not want me to catch him alive!"

Daxter grimaced on Jak's shoulder. "The Metal Heads must've promised Krew plenty for him to betray the whole city like this."

"Not really." Raye scoffed, lowering her gun when they saw no more attackers were coming. "Money, power, not becoming food."

"Let's get out of here." Jak ordered, walking forward.

-----

"Well that was an annoying little puzzle." Raye muttered.

A scratching noise reached all their ears. "Did you hear that?" Sig asked. The wall next to them exploded, revealing a large, centipede-like Metal Head. "Shootin' this one's only gonna get him made. RUN!" The two younger elves took Sig's words to heart and bolted down the hall, shooting platforms to make them flip back over after Sig jumped off them.

"Jak, come on!" Raye called, crossing the stone bridge to stand by Sig.

"I am coming!" He yelled, running across the rocks. About halfway over, the Metal Head caught up with him, and the flimsy bridge couldn't hold its weight. The stones collapsed under Jak, and he started to fall, along with their pursuer.

Sig moved fast, though, and grabbed Jak's wrist before he could take the plunge. "Thanks." He breathed after he was on solid ground again.

"No problem, let's move."

-----

SC: Yes, my Jak and Daxter writer's block is gone! Wootwoot! R&R people!

Ja ne!

SpontaneousCombustion


	30. The Death of Sig

I don't own anything except Raye so don't sue.

--

Chapter 30 The Death of Sig 

After more annoyingly stupid puzzles, and being chased again, the three were almost out. "Let's go!" Jak called to Sig. "We're almost to the elevator!"

Sig came running through the doorway. "Looks like we finally lost 'em, chili peppers. Piece of cake, huh?"

Raye laughed. "Yeah, cake with very sharp pincers and bad breath."

Sig laughed too. "Now you two are real Wastelanders! I say it's time to take this fight to the Metal Head Leader himself. What a trophy he'll make. We find a way to juice up Mar's ol' gun, and then boom baby! We storm the Nest, gun's blazing!" Jak and Raye grinned. Raye's grin, however, faded as she remembered what happened next.

"Oh no." She whispered. She tried to call out a warning, but her throat closed up. _'Raye, no.'_ Ambika ordered, using the dark eco flowing in her blood to paralyze her.

"Hell, we'll take 'em all on together! You two and me, side by side! Nothing'll stop us cause we're-"

The ceiling collapsed above Sig, revealing the gigantic Metal Head, falling down toward him, mouth wide open. It fell straight down on Sig and the bridge, the path collapsing beneath both, sending them into the abyss of black below them.

"SIG!" All three yelled. Jak looked down into the pit frantically. Nothing.

Jak rested his head in his hands. He needed a minute. Unfortunately, that minute was more than fate thought he deserved. "So, ahh, what's Plan B?" Daxter asked, nervously.

Jak looked up at him. "The same as Plan A, minus Sig." He stood and walked toward the exit. "Come on Raye."

She followed him silently, having a mental argument with herself. 'I could've saved him! Why'd you stop me!'

Ambika growled. _'You're the one always preaching about how we "can't interfere!" What do you think saving Sig would do, other than placing yourself in danger? He may end up actually dying while he helped you and Jak fight Kor!'_

'I know you're right, but…'

_'Look, both of us know he'll be fine.'_ _I think_, Ambika added to herself. Raye fought back tears as the elevator rose. Life sucked, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. 'Worthless' didn't even describe how she felt.

As they stepped through the doors to another scene of growing carnage, Jak's talkbox flew up. "_Jak, I need you and Raye to get down to the Stadium pronto._" Keira said before turning her end off.

"Wait… did she just say both of us?" Raye asked, wiping a few tears that had managed to sneak out away.

Jak smiled, but it was forced. "Yeah. Let's go."

xXx

Jak and Raye found Keira easily in the Stadium area; it hadn't been overrun yet, and the Rift Rider stuck out like a Flut-Flut in a group of Lurkers. Or vice versa. But the point of this is not to compare giant, ride-able birds and furry, overgrown, underdeveloped apes, but to have Jak and Raye walk over to Keira.

"The Rift Rider's finished!" Keira exclaimed as the two elves walked over. "But if my father's right, and the Ring is somewhere in the Metal Head Nest, how are we going to get the Rift Rider there to use it?"

Brutter popped up between Jak and Keira and pointed up. "Look! Brutter just knew friends would need lift if Metal Headers attack." They all say the giant, floating balloon.

"Brutter, you da man!" Daxter yelled, jumping up on Jak's shoulder.

"Lurker balloons are the finest lifters in world, but they is easy target." Brutter told them, looking at Jak and Raye.

Jak nodded. "Right. You guys get the Rift Rider to the Nest. We'll stay here to defend your takeoff and getaway."

Daxter glared at Jak. "Once again, being your friend SUCKS! I wanna go on the balloon."

"You keep Stadium safe while we prep balloon for lift away." Brutter looked behind them. "Oh no, here they come! Metal Headers!"

"Move it!" Raye yelled to Brutter and Keira. They both nodded and ran for the balloon as Samos, the sage and Shadow, lifted the Rift Rider with their eco powers. Raye pulled out her Vulcan. "Anger management?"

Jak nodded. "Anger management." He let loose a flurry of bullets into a grunt that was coming down the steps toward them.

Both ran out of bullets sooner than they'd have liked and switched guns. Yellow streaks embedded themselves in the skulls of the Stingers and Grunts that were swarming around them.

Finally, the Rider was on the balloon, and it took off. Jak finished off the last of the Metal Heads as it floated up. "Up, up, and away!" Brutter cried as it rose higher and higher.

Daxter scoffed. "Must be nice, floating away while we DIE down here!"

Keira leaned over the edge a little, holding one of the ropes to keep from falling. "We'll meet near the Nest! See you both soon! Be careful Jak!"

Dax hit the side of Jak's head. "Yeah, Jak, be careful."

Jak rolled his eyes and looked around for Raye. She was kneeling down, holding her talkbox in her hands. "Raye? What's wrong?"

She handed him the machine. "Listen."

Jak hit the 'accept' button, and a message started playing. "_Jak? Raye? C'mon, one of you pick up! Listen, I think I know who's behind all this! It's K- oh no. No, get away from me! AARRRGGGHH!_" There was a roar in the background and the sound of tearing.

Jak and Dax both looked sick. Jak moved his finger to the stop button, but Raye shook her head. "There's more."

Jak faintly heard gasping in the background. He had to play it back three times before he could decipher: "_Praxis… Stone… Construction Site… hurry…K-Kor…_"

Dax looked from one elf to the other. "You don't think that he's… you know."

"He's dead." Raye muttered. "The Metal Heads aren't anyone mercy."

Jak growled. "Where's the Site?"

Raye stood up and climbed on an abandoned Zoomer. "I know." For once, Jak didn't question Raye's unexplained knowledge. First Sig, now Vin, not to mention countless civilian casualties. The Metal Head Leader would pay for this.

XXX

I watched both my friends nervously as the Zoomer sped through the carnage in the Industrial Section. Both their expressions were detached and bitter. As we passed the Power Station, Raye stopped. The door was blocked with rubble, and the windows were covered in what looked like blood. Jak put a hand on her shoulder and she slammed the accelerator again.

We stopped near a half-hidden door under one of the walkways. No one even noticed as Jak and Raye shoved the boulder of metal out of the way and walked through. It led to a room filled with machinery and another door at the end. They ran up to it and shoved it open.

Praxis and half a dozen of his goons were standing at the bottom of the site, and I nearly fell off Jak's shoulder as he and Raye completely ignored the ramps and jumped down. They were right next to the end of the ramp when Kor, yeah, the old dude with the walking stick, dropped down in front of them from nowhere.

Both stopped. "Kor?" Jak questioned. "What's going on?"

"_YOU!_" Raye hissed, Ambika coming through.

Kor smirked at Jak and I, completely ignoring Raye. "I'm sure you know, deep down in your darkest nightmares." His face contorted into something ugly(er) that had fangs and very yellow eyes. "We've met before, remember?" He turned back to Praxis. "Everything's going exactly as planned." He walked away from us and threw away his walking stick. Dragonfly like wings sprouted from his back, and his body bulged nastily. Then, here's the really gross part, it_ shredded into pieces_ to reveal the Metal Head Leader hovering in the air.

"Jak! It's the Metal Head Leader!" I cried. For once, I heard no 'Captain Obvious' joke.

Metal Kor laughed. "Now you see! Without the shield wall disrupting my powers inside the city, I am now my full potential! So for the last time, give me the Precursor Stone!" He ordered.

Praxis pulled out a weird glowy-green sword. "If the city must die, the we all die!" He charged at Kor, his guards behind him. The gem on Kor's forehead glowed, then shot out a beam of dark eco, blasting Praxis and the goon squad into a support beam, which immediately collapsed on them.

"I will find that stone if I must crush this city one brick at a time!" He started to fly off, but a black-and-white blur shot past Jak and I with a bloodcurdling roar and embedded itself in Kor's side. It took me a second to realize it was a half-transformed Raye.

Kor used his tail to fling her off like she was nothing, laughing madly. "Poor, stupid Raye. You had all that time to finish me and you pick now, when I am at my full power? Foolish girl!"

Raye stood up and leaped at him again. "DIE YOU BASTARD!" He caught her in mid-leap and slammed her to the ground.

"Raye, what's he talking about?" Jak asked.

Kor laughed. "Don't you get it? Your precious friend Raye has been lying to you about _everything_. She's known who I was this whole time. She knew how every moment of your pathetic battle would turn out. And when she tried to change it, she failed."

Jak's eyes, and mine, widened. "Raye… that's not true is it?"

She couldn't look at him. "I-I'm sorry, Jak."

Kor cackled and flew off before Raye had a chance to orient herself. I could sense the anger radiating off of Jak (though some of it may have been mine) as Raye sat up, wincing. He swiftly stomped over, grabbing Raye by the front of her shirt and pulling her up. "You _knew_!"

"Jak, listen to me, I can explain-"

He shoved her away from him. "I don't want to hear it, Raye! You knew what was going to happen and you didn't stop it!"

"I couldn't you moron!" She yelled. "I couldn't alter what was going to happen, otherwise I could've destroyed the entire damn universe! Do you know how fucking hard it was for me to force myself to sit back and watch as this place went to hell! How hard it was to not kill Kor, or Errol, or Praxis and just end it right then! No, you don't!"

Both of them glared at each other for a minute or two before Jak let out an aggravated sigh. "Fine. Start talking." (a/n: yes, I know I'm ignoring Praxis. Let's all pretend he's unconscious.)

Raye took a deep breath. "To start off, I'm not even from this dimension. I'm from a place called Earth, and back home, this, all of it, is a game. You two, Torn, Samos, Keira, Ashelin- everyone- is a fictional character in a video game."

I was trying very, VERY hard not to laugh. "Daxter, if you even think of calling me crazy, I'll let Ambika eat you." My hand fell back to my side.

And so Raye explained. She explained everything, from the vision Onin showed her, to losing the Kid, who was actually Jak (!), and confronting Kor. "So I don't even exist in your world?" Jak asked, trying to confirm this fact.

"Not really, no." Raye said.

I groaned. "Those poor women! They've been missing out on this their whole lives!"

Raye chuckled. "Lucky them."

"HEY!"

Jak put a hand on her shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I told you, I didn't know if I would tear the very fabric of reality itself."

"Raye, you were sucked into a television."

"Good point." She muttered. "But now… now I'm starting to think that it wouldn't have mattered if I did. This isn't a game anymore." All three of us looked over at the pile of rubble where Praxis was buried. It was moving. "It's the Baron." Raye muttered. Neither of us questioned her as Jak walked over and pulled the rubble away to reveal a badly injured and dying Praxis.

"You two… are the supreme weapons. And I… made you. Still… any leader worth his salt has his backup plan…" He pulled a remote out of his pocket and hit the button on it. You know, one of those big, red buttons that you just _have_ to push. We turned around as a bomb rose out of the ground behind us. It was really freaking huge. "Remember, the first rule in making a bomb… is to always make two." He took a shuddering breath and his eye rolled back into his head.

Raye didn't even look at him. "He's dead."

Jak snarled. "We aren't getting to kill anyone we want."

"There's still Kor." She reminded him.

"Yeah." They both walked over to the bomb and looked up at it, then at me.

"No way. I've done some stupid things, but there is no way I'm climbing into a bomb." Raye grabbed my tail and pulled. "Yaaoowww! Okay, I'm going in." I leaped off of Jak's head and scrambled on top of the bomb, then jumped in the hole on top. I was immediately caught up in a mess of wires. "Man, what a mess of junk in here! All jumbled coils and wires and switches." I groaned. "Should I unhook the blue wire?" I grinned, a joke coming to mind. "Wait a minute. Are Ottsels colorblind!" I could almost Jak and Raye's scared faces. "Let me just break a few more things and see if anything pops loose…" I pulled out a few random wires and coils before spotting the 'release' button near one of the clamps holding the Stone and hitting it. It popped loose and I yelled, "BOOM!" as loud as I could. Jak and Raye did not find this funny. "Haha, gotcha." I climbed down with the Stone and handed it to Jak. "Like candy from a baby."

Jak looked down at the Precursor Stone that was glowing softly in his hands. "Let's go."

XXX

As Raye and I flew back through the city toward the Port, I asked her more questions. Can you blame me? I just found out that there was another reality where I was a video game character. "So it's a popular game?"

"Very." She told me, dodging a stray bullet. "It has a fan club at my school."

Dax pouted. "But all of them star JAK. What about me?"

"There are only two games, Daxter. (a/n: This is before Jak 3, remember?)" Raye told him. "I think it's supposed to be a trilogy, but I haven't heard anything about the third game. Jessie might have. Heck, she might even HAVE the game. I've been gone for almost three years now."

"Do you miss them?" Dax asked.

"Yeah. I try not to dwell on it. Though I'm kinda PO'd at my folks for not telling me I was adopted." Raye paused. "What was it like to channel Light Eco?"

I stayed silent for a minute. "I hardly remember. It was awesome, though. Like nothing could hurt me…"

"Kind of like Ambika and Lykaios." Raye muttered.

"Not really. It didn't hurt, it felt… good." I stopped as the Port came into view. I gagged at the smell of blood and eco. Honestly, I couldn't tell who was winning. Raye and I both turned our Zoomers toward the transport, which was thankfully there.

"Tyro, please tell me it's you in there." Raye said, climbing in back.

"It is. Ashelin just radioed me." He turned around to look at us as the ramp rose behind me. "You two sure you want to go to the Metal Head Nest of all places?"

"We're sure." We both answered.

Daxter shuddered. "Stop doing that. It's creepy." The transport shuddered as it took off and flew over the city walls.

"Praxis is sure doing a great job of defending the city now." Tyro scoffed.

"He's dead." Raye told him.

He looked back, somewhere between alarmed and happy. "You two?"

"No." I growled angrily. "The Metal Head Leader. Kor."

"Kor? The old guy with the walking stick?"

Daxter nodded. "We were just as surprised as you." He glanced over at Raye, whose look was icy.

_'Most of us were, anyway.'_ Lykaios muttered in my head.

'Shut up.'

XXX

"You guys really sure about this?" Tyro asked us before we walked out of the transport.

I could feel the energy from the Precursor Stone through my shirt; it was strapped beneath my JET Board. "No, but we never usually are." Raye said. "Don't worry, we'll be back. You've still got a story to tell me!" She called, jumping out.

"I wouldn't wait up." I told him. "Head back to Haven."

He nodded. "Good luck." I jumped out and the door closed behind me. A hot gust of air hit me as it took off and flew back out to the city. I turned to Raye. "Where to now?"

Raye bit her lip. "I'm not really sure… this was when Jessie took over so I could go eat dinner. But there's only one way to go, so we'll just have to try that way."

The path was surprisingly empty. "I don't get it." Raye muttered. "When Jess played, this place was crawling with Mantis."

My grip on my Blaster tightened. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Suddenly, a scratching noise reached my ears. "It's an ambush!" I shot the Mantis that had leapt at me.

It only took a minute to dispatch the Metal Heads. "I think that's the last of them." I muttered. "You okay?"

Raye looked down at her side where a Mantis had gotten in a swipe. "Yeah. It's shallow."

"Good. Let's go."

Jak had Daxter call Ashelin when we had Mar's gun in our sights. "Ashelin, it's Jak. We found the gun." He stepped onto the lift with me.

"How are things going back there?" I asked.

"_There isn't much hope now. With the Shield Wall destroyed, it's just a matter of time before the Metal Heads overwhelm us. You should just go back through the rift back to your own time, Jak, and get away from this horrible place._"

Dax, who still had Jak's communicator, nodded. "I see your point. Come on Jak."

Jak lifted the Precursor Stone off of his back. "This place is worth fighting for." He told them both, shoving the Stone into place. I smiled at him. This was home, for both of us.

"_We'll hold out as long as we can. Fare well._" She clicked off. Daxter closed the communicator.

Jak looked at the machine. "Precursor Stone," He tapped the gun with his first two knuckles, "Gun," He pointed at the blocked entrance in front of us with the same two fingers. "Nest."

Dax jumped back on Jak's shoulder. "Light 'er up, padre!"

Jak pulled on the lever and the gun rose. He laughed viciously. "Eat this!" The beam blasted through the entrance, leaving us with a clear, if somewhat smoky, path to Metal Kor.

"That oughta wake 'em up!" I laughed.

"Let's go take care of business." Jak said, the same malicious grin on his face.

Daxter gulped. "What, you mean go in there? Ahh, I'm right behind you." He slunk down on Jak's shoulder as we walked in. First though, I grabbed the Stone out of the Gun.

"Trust me, we'll need this." I told the boys as I caught up. I slid it under my JET Board as Jak had, pulling my gun out.

--

SC: Cliffhanger, haha. Thirty chapters and counting. Yay me! Review people!

Ja ne

SC


	31. WE'RE WHAT!

I don't own Jak and Daxter, Jak II, Jak 3, or Jak X. Well, I do own copies of them, but they are the product of Naughty Dog. Raye is mine though.

SC: Now, see, this is the chapter that all my readers are going to kill me for.

--

Chapter 31 

WE'RE WHAT!

It was a straightforward path to Kor. There were a few Metal Heads, but they didn't attack either Jak or me, just glared at us as we passed them. We glared back.

We entered the room Kor was in, hanging his immense bulk from the ceiling. "Finally, you've decided to join us." He moved his tail to reveal the Kid, unconscious in a protective bubble/barrier thing. I growled. "And you brought the Precursor Stone. Good. The boy will now play his final part."

Jak glared at him. "Not this time!"

Kor laughed. "Oh, but this child is such a part of this. You were hidden in the past on hopes that you would gain the skills to fight me in the future! And you, Raye. You were sent to another dimension to keep you safe, so you could be reunited with your brother face me today and win."

Suddenly, the fact that we were in the middle of the Metal Head Nest wasn't the most important thing on my mind. "Wait… did he just say that Jak was Raye's brother?" Daxter asked.

Jak and I looked at each other. "WE'RE WHAT!"

Kor laughed. "I see Onin and Samos are still keeping secrets from you. Yes, the two of you are siblings. Twins, in fact. Haven't you wondered WHY no one but you two survived the dark warrior program?" Jak and I were silent. Can you really blame us? "But Onin was wrong! Not that you've both been touched by dark eco, the Stone will never open for either of you! But young Jak, however, still has the pure gift. He alone can awaken the Stone and the Precursor entity which sleeps inside!" Kor hissed gleefully. "I have finally found the last Precursor egg! Mar was clever. He covered his tracks well through time, hiding his last egg from me, and building the shield and city to defend it! It has been a long siege. But today, I will finally feed on the last Precursor life force!"

Daxter smirked. "Ah, I think you're forgetting one thing, Metalo-Maniac! WE have the Precursor Stone!" He gestured to the glowing gem on my back. Kor swept the bubble the kid was in away with his tail; it now floated serenely next to the Warp Gate.

"Not for long!" He growled, using one of those dark eco blasts that he killed Praxis with to blast the ledge beneath us. Jak and I fell, getting buried under the rubble.

I was in a lot of pain. "Jak… I can't move…"

"I know… me neither… I've got an idea though. Can you see my hand?"

Faintly, I could see his outline. "Yeah." I moved my own experimentally, my fingertips brushing his palm.

"Hold still." I could see purple lightning crackle between our fingers, and Ambika woke up. She and Lykaios burst out from under the rubble with a simultaneous roar. I could feel the bones that had fractured or broken pull back together and the mark on my hand was burning.

"DIE!" Kor yelled.

I saw Jak change back, but I stayed in Ambika's form. "My thoughts exactly!" I launched myself at Kor's face, surprising him. Claws outstretched, I shoved my hands into his eyes, closing my hands and yanking back, HARD. I fell back a bit, using a few quick flaps to steady myself. I tossed the yellow eyes, now turning red violet from the blood, to the ground quickly. Kor let out a high-pitched, scream-of-pain-like roar. I flew away from the swipes of his claws. _'Wow, I didn't even have to encourage that! I'm impressed.'_ My darker half praised.

I ignored her, for I was busy dodging a swipe that came to close for comfort. I looked down to see Jak surrounded by Stingers. Another roar from Kor sent them scattering. "Fools! Blinding me has done nothing! I can still sense the eco in your bodies!" He hit my side while I tried to figure out where he was coming from, sending me to the ground.

Jak ran over. "You okay?"

Ambika took over. _"She's fine."_

"Just making sure. Great idea, by the way."

_"Surprisingly, that was all Raye's. I never even thought of ripping his eyes out. Now start shooting."_ She flew back up, attacking the supports holding Kor to the ceiling. Jak distracted him by pounding him with the Vulcan Fury. Her claws sliced through the ropy things easily, and sent Kor plummeting toward the ground. We stayed in the air, but then I felt a sharp pain through my stomach.

XXX

Ambika looked down to see the tip of Kor's tail pulling out of her middle. She fell to the ground, blood leaking all over. "Raye!"

Jak dragged me over to a corner where a couple of dead Grunts were. "Oh crap." I heard Daxter say.

'Ambika?' Raye questioned. 'What's going on?'

_'Nothing, don't worry.'_ She used the last of the eco in Raye's body to close the wound, it really wasn't as big as it had first looked, and then changed back to normal with a shudder. "You okay?" Jak asked.

Raye put a hand to her stomach. "Yeah… my eco is running on empty, but okay." She looked around him. "But we might not be for long."

"Why?"

Daxter turned around. "Because Kor just found us! RUN!" Both elves jumped up and sprinted to the other side of the room, Kor behind them.

Xfive minutes laterX

"This isn't doing us any good!" Raye hissed, blood dripping down her forehead. Her right wrist was sprained, and her side now had two gashes in it: one from the Mantis earlier, which was basically healed, and one from Kor's dark eco beam of doom.

"I realize that!" Jak growled, shooting Kor again with his Blaster. His right thigh had a long cut down it from Kor getting in a lucky shot when he was jumping out of the way of the dark eco beam. He and Raye were both hiding behind one of the patches of freaky glowing rocks in the room. The rocks radiated dark eco, so they were safe… for the moment.

"Don't start arguing right now, 'cause right now is definitely NOT the time." Daxter told them both, serious for once. Blood matted the bright orange fur on his chest and near his tail, though Jak and Raye found no injuries except for a bloody nose where a rock had shot up and hit him from the explosion of Kor's gigantic body hitting the ground.

Raye leaned up against the rock, absorbing some of the eco radiating from it. Purple sparks danced over the wound on her forehead and it sealed a bit, making her wince. "Dark eco healing hurts."

"What do you expect? This stuff is called the eco of DESTRUCTION." Jak admonished. "Probably why they make Peace Maker bullets out of it."

Raye sat up, wincing as the cuts in her side healed a bit more. "What did you say?"

"Peace Maker bullets are made of dark eco."

Raye grinned. "I've got an idea."

XXX

Frustrated did not even come close to describing Kor's mood. Jak and Raye had killed all of his Metal Heads that had been down in the pit with them, and he had no idea where they were. Suddenly, a figure radiating eco ran into his line of vision. "Come and get me Kor!" Raye yelled, throwing a rock at him, barely missing his empty eye socket. He growled and charged at her.

_'That worked a bit TOO well, I think.'_

'Shut up, Ambika. I don't hear you coming up with any ideas.'

_'You want ideas? Okay, here's one: move it before we get turned into Kor's lunch!'_ Raye jumped forward as Kor's giant fangs closed around the space she has previously been in. _'You might want to tell your brother over there to, oh, I dunno, HURRY HIS ASS UP!'_

'Ambika, seriously: shut up.'

XXX

"Jak, you might want to hurry up." Daxter said peering over the rock formation. "Raye almost got eaten."

"I'm _try_ing, _so_ how _a_bout _shut_ting _up_ and _let_ting _me_ con_cen_trate" Jak/Lykaios growled in frustration. Jak's skin was still its normal color, but the beginnings of horns, fangs, and claws were poking through, and his hair was looked bleached. In each hand, a charging Peace Maker rested, though instead of the bright white the charging shot usually was, it edges were tinted slightly purple, and purple lightning crackled around the entire gun.

-Flashback-

_"There's no way that a regular blast is going to take down Kor." Raye said, struggling to switch her gun mode. _

_"Yeah, we've gotten that." Jak muttered. "So?"_

_"So what if we charged up a bullet with some dark eco?" The Morph Gun clicked into its Peace Maker mod. _

_It took Jak a second to realize her plan. "Wait, why do I have to do it?" _

_She rolled her eyes. "Do I really have to explain? _DAXTER_ could tell you that."_

_Daxter sighed. "Her wrist is sprained, so she can't even hold the gun, and she's out of eco."_

_"Thank you. Look, I'll distract Kor while you charge these up." She handed him her morph gun. "And Lykaios, because I know you can hear me,"_ _Raye leaned down to look into Jak's eyes, little swirls of black twisting through the bright blues of her own eyes. _"You better not do something stupid to screw this up." _Ambika growled before letting Raye take back over and running out from behind the rocks._

-End Flashback-

A scream of pain nearly made Jak drop the guns. "What _the_ hell?" He muttered, looking over the rock.

Kor had caught Raye's ankle between his fangs. Raye was letting loose her entire arsenal of attacks at him. Unfortunately, they have little power behind them and are losing more and more energy with each punch.

_'We're almost out of eco; let 'em go!'_ Lykaios ordered.

Jak stood up and took aim at Kor holding the guns right next to each other. He released the triggers of both guns simultaneously. The two balls merged together as they left the gun muzzles, slamming into Kor with the force of a fighter plane going at Mach 9. Well, maybe not that hard, but you get my point.

Kor let out a loud roar, consequently dropping Raye. She pulled herself to the side as he tried to fly through the Warp Gate, slamming into the Precursor Metal side. Energy flew through him, bloating and expanding his body until it exploded, throwing his head at the feet of Jak, who had run out from his hiding place to help Raye.

The blonde grimaced as he turned back to normal and walked over to help Raye up. The boy's bubble floated down, popping as it hit the ground. The kid blinked a few times, standing dizzily.

XXX

"Dax, get the Stone." I said, looking at little Jak, who was still orienting himself. The Ottsel climbed onto my shoulder and pulled the glowing green gem out and handed it to me. I set it on the ground so that the kid would see it.

Little Jak, being a three year old and interested in anything shiny, immediately tottered over and touched the Stone. It glowed even brighter, and an elf made entirely of white light flew out. "Oh man, a Precursor."

The Precursor put its hands together and bowed toward Jak and I. "It is finished. Our ancient enemy is no more. Take hope, brave ones. The terrible darkness inside you is now balanced by a glorious light!" He floated down and touched our foreheads. The wounds on our bodies, and Daxter's, disappeared, leaving only ripped clothes and dried blood as proof that they had even existed. "We will meet again." It told them, flying through the Rift Ring, which was starting to tremble. Little Jak tried to chase it, stopping after he realized that there was no bloody way he could get that high.

As the Precursor disappeared, the Lurker balloon floated in. When it landed, Keira jumped down. "We don't have much time. I've set the coordinates back to our village. Let's go home everyone."

Jak shook his head. "But we are home."

Samos stepped down beside his daughter, and his bird started flying around from the sudden movement. "Keira, I'm afraid your Rift Rider must me used to send young Jak here to a place where he will grow up safe from harm. He must become old enough to complete the destiny he has fulfilled today." He gestured to little Jak who was now chasing his bird. He soon loses interest and tries to climb onto the platform with the Rift Rider. I laughed as he tried to get up on his own. Jak laughed too before he helped him up, smiling.

The Shadow, who was sitting in the Rift Rider, looked startled. "Wait a minute! It's you… I mean, it's me! I have to take him back and watch over him, don't I?" Samos nodded. The Shadow groaned. "Ah, grub roots. Talk about being in the wrong time at the right place."

I hugged the little Jak tightly. "You behave yourself for Samos, okay?" He grinned and nodded. I stepped back so Jak could say his goodbye too.

Jak knelt down in front of him. "Hey, you take care. Oh, and trust me on this, stay away from any wumpbee nests on your ninth birthday, okay?" The Kid nodded again and pulled the Seal of Mar from his neck, placing it in Jak's hand. Jak stared at it for a minute before lifting his littler self into the Rift Rider.

Keira bit her lip. "I sure hope I built this replica right. I don't know if it-"

Samos stopped his daughter. "It's perfect, Keira. This is the very machine we found… or will find later."

The aqua haired mechanic was confused. "What? I just built this. After seeing the first one, I mean. It's based on what I remember from-"

This time, Daxter cut her off. "Honey, the more you think about it, the more it hurts the head."

"For once, I agree with Daxter." I muttered. Jak nudged me in the side. "What?"

The Rift Rider began to take off, and the Shadow turned to face us. "I'll take good care of the child. And don't worry, I'll be back in time for the celebration! Farewell!" The Rider zoomed through the Warp Gate, and the Gate collapsed behind it.

Jak turned to Samos. "Thanks Samos. Without you…"

Samos shook his head. "It's funny. The boy won't remember any of this."

Jak looked at the Gate, which had finally finished falling apart. "No… I do remember the light."

I coughed, making everyone turn to look at me. "I hate to interrupt the good feelings swarming around the room, but do you have something to tell us, Samos?" I glanced at Jak.

Jak caught on. "I wouldn't happen to have any family in Haven that I should know about, would I Samos?"

Keira was confused again. "Jak, what are you two talking about?"

"Ask Samos." Both of us responded.

Daxter groaned and shook his head. "See, now I know why you two do that! It's a freaky twin thing!" Jak and I glared at Daxter. "Oh, sorry."

"Wait, you two are twins?" Keira asked.

I nodded. "Like I said, he's all yours." Both of them blushed and Jak smacked the back of my head. "Ow!"

Samos nodded. "Yes, you two are twins. Your younger selves were separated almost a year ago, and Raye was sent through another Warp Gate to Earth."

"What about Jak?" I asked.

The sage sighed. "Jak was kidnapped from us, and the Underground only recently found him again."

"Makes sense." Jak muttered.

Daxter jumped back up on his shoulder. "Hey, can we go now? This place is giving me the creeps!"

We all agreed to that sentiment and climbed onto the Lurker balloon. "So… what DID happen on your ninth birthday Jak?"

--

SC: Wow, I can't believe I'm almost done with this. I'm almost sad. Almost. Mainly just happy that I can finally wrap this up!

Ja ne

SC

PS: please don't kill me for the little surprise… flame if you must, but don't kill me!


	32. The End

SC: Here it is, the last chapter of Altered Reality! (or, as it used to be titled, Into the Game!)

Random people who don't like me: Yea!

SC: But there's a sequel!

RPWDLM: NOOOOO! (all go and jump off a cliff.)

SC: cool. Anyway, onto the chapter! Oh, and I just realized I've been calling the Rift Ring the Warp Gate and feel really stupid, so if anyone mentions that, I already know.

--

Chapter 32 

The End

It had been a week since Jak and I had taken down Metal Kor. Of course, as far as anyone who talked to Daxter and actually believed him knew, i.e. Tess, he'd done all of it. Somehow, Jak and I got dragged back to the Nest to get Kor's head, which was now mounted on the wall of Dax's bar. Yeah, since Tess was the only one working here when Krew died, Ashelin transferred it to her, and Tess gave it to Daxter. The new décor was… definitely in style with Daxter's tastes. In other words: pictures of half-naked girls now hung were Krew's old paintings had been, most of which had been, big surprise, stolen. It was opening night, and so far, Jak, Keira, Samos, Onin, Pecker, Daxter, and me were here.

I laughed. "So, let me get this straight. We just took down one of the biggest baddies on the PLANET, and you're afraid of a bug about this big?" I held my fingers about an inch apart.

"You aren't gonna let this drop, are you?"

"Nope. I'm your little sister. Annoying you is what I do." I grinned and took a sip of my beer. Okay, so I'm underage. Like anyone cared really cared.

It had been really weird the past week. Ever since Jak and I found out we were siblings, we had gotten a lot closer. I knew basically every one of his secrets, and he now knew most of mine. Hey, I'm a girl; if I tried to tell Jak ALL of my secrets, his head may have exploded.

The door opened and Tess walked in. Daxter, who had been sitting on the edge of the fighting ring in the center of the bar, hopped down to greet her. "Welcome to the Naughty Ottsel! The hippest, happenist, hoppinest joint in town! Check out the new décor." He motioned to Kor's head.

"Ooh, what a big trophy." Tess said.

Dax scoffed. "As if size matters? I bagged that bad boy myself, baby!" Jak and I rolled our eyes. Not only had he not bagged it, he didn't even help hang it! Again, Jak and me got stuck doing all the work. That was the only redecorating I helped with.

Onin was signing something behind us, taking another swig of that purple stuff Daxter had gotten drunk on when Krew still ran the bar. I turned to Pecker. "Translation please!"

"Onin says she doesn't know who has a bigger head. Him, or you!" Onin pointed at Kor and Daxter as Pecker said that.

"Wait, we talking physical head or ego?" I asked, only half rhetorically.

Before he answered, Samos interrupted. "We must not forget Vin, and all the others who sacrificed their lives to defeat this evil and protect the child." All of us bowed our heads and were silent for a moment.

Jak looked down at the Seal in his hand. "I still can't believe that little boy was me." He laughed. "Better times, huh?"

Keira, who Jak had his arm around, smiled and put a hand on his chest. "You miss him, huh?" Jak nodded and she tapped his nose. "You know, the kid grows up to be a handsome hero." Jak blushed bright pink as Keira pulled him in for a kiss, but both they both stopped and turned around when Daxter's voice rang out through the air.

He was glaring at Onin, fists on his hips. "Hey! That's enough for you lady. I'm cuttin' you off- YAAOO!" Onin used her sparks to send Dax flying back on the bar, landing him next to Pecker.

Pecker looked down at him as he sat up. "Trust me, she gets real mean when she's like this!" Onin signed something, swaying quite a bit.

Daxter narrowed his eyes and looked at Pecker. "What'd she say?"

"Something about rubber tubing and certain parts of your mother." Jak, Keira, and I burst out laughing. "You don't want to know the rest."

We all turned back around as a knock on the door sounded through the bar. It slid open and my eyes were immediately drawn to the Metal Head shoulder armor, then to the face of the knocker. "Ahhgggh! It's a Metal Head!" Dax cried, diving behind Pecker.

"Sig!" Jak and I cried, jumping up and running over.

"I knew that." I heard Dax mutter, slightly embarrassed sounding.

"You're okay?" Jak asked, surprised.

Sig laughed. "You cherries didn't think some nasty breath, giant sized lizard would keep me from the biggest party in town did ya?"

Dax, who had popped back up on Jak's shoulder, grinned. "I knew you were too tough for 'em, big guy!"

"I am so glad you're okay!" I jumped up and hugged his neck. "But if you ever do that again, I'll take your head off."

Sig chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." I let go of him as Torn and Ashelin walked in, Zev trailing behind them.

I knelt down as the crocadog ran over. "Hey Zev." Jak pet its head. "Hey, you've already got an animal sidekick, bro."

"Oh, hardy har har." Daxter muttered.

Torn smirked. "I thought it was funny."

"Thank you Torn. Hi Ashelin."

--

Later that night, Samos, Jak, Pecker, Dax, and I had gone out to get some air. Samos turned to Jak and I. "You two saved the city and more, I hope you two know. Metal Kor and his menace are history, and somewhere out there, an ancient race has begun again."

"I'm just glad to be back home, right Raye?" He asked, scratching Zev's ears.

I nodded, pushing a piece of hair out of my face. "Yeah. It's nice to have someplace to call home again."

"Yeah? Well rest up." Samos told us. "We've got a lot to do and so much time to do it in!"

Jak held up his hand. "Don't say 'time!' The Rift Ring was destroyed, remember?"

Sig walked up next to me. "You know, my momma used to read me bedtime stories about Mar when she'd tuck me in. She'd give me a glass of warm Yakow milk, and my little Poopsy Bear."

Daxter blinked and looked at Sig over Jak's head. "Bedtime stories? Warm milk? Poopsy Bear! Buddy, ya just blew your image!" Pecker and Zev were snickering behind him.

Samos looked up at the sky. "I've got a feeling that we may meet Mar someday. He may be closer than you think." For some reason, I thought he was giving us some weird, cryptic clue, but thought nothing of it as Sig held out the Ruby Key to Jak.

"You're the designated driver."

I laughed. "Cool, that means I can get drunk!

Jak gave me a 'look' before handing Sig the Key back. "Oh no. We are DONE with adventures! Besides, you'll tell us before something happens next time, right Samos?" When the sage didn't answer, both of us looked down at him. He was whistling "innocently."

"RIGHT SAMOS?" We both growled.

Pecker flapped down in front of us. "Aarrrk! You never know what the future may hold."

Daxter's ears flattened against his head like an angry cat. "Wait. You know something, don't ya' feather breath?"

Pecker grinned nervously. "Who? Me? Ah, no… we're just, ah, guessing, right Samos? Today, tomorrow, only time will tell!" If we weren't suspicious before, we were now.

Dax glared at him. "No, you're gonna tell… RIGHT NOW! Aagghh!" He jumped off Jak's shoulder and tackled Pecker. The rolled around on the ground, attacking each other.

"AAGGHH! Why you little- AAARRR!"

"Ooooo, dirty fighting! Dirty fighting!" Sig and I reached down to grab them. He got Pecker's tail and I got Daxter's. I set the ottsel back in his spot on Jak's shoulder.

Samos raised his staff and gestured to the sky. "Jak, Raye, the future awaits!"

I turned and looked back at the bar. "Yeah? Well, the future can wait. Right now, I want to have fun in the present party that's going on inside." I ran back inside, Jak and Dax hot on my heels.

Ashelin waved to me from across the room. "Raye, help me get Torn on the dance floor!"

I laughed. "Oh hell yeah! This I want to see!" I ran over.

XXX

I laughed as Raye and Ashelin dragged Torn out on the floor with them. Daxter had gone after Raye, and was cheering them on from the bar.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Keira. "Hey."

"Hey." She got up on the stool next to me. "You know, I think we were doing something earlier that Daxter interrupted." She traced circles on my chest with her finger.

I grinned, definitely liking where this conversation was going. I leaned down and kissed her, blushing slightly as I heard Raye yell 'FINALLY!' from the other side of the room.

When I pulled away, Keira and I were both grinning. "Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, Keir, I have to go make myself an only child." I walked away from the bar and toward Raye, who was still trying to help Ashelin get Torn to dance. She looked up and saw me, then slipped over behind Sig, laughing madly.

I had to agree with her; the future could wait, 'cause there is no time like the present.

--

SC: Yep, that's the last chappie! Don't worry, all, I have a sequel coming out… in like a week. It'll come out sooner if I get more reviews!

Ja ne!

SC


End file.
